Luka Doncic missed the Los Angeles Lakers' thrilling 123-120 victory at the buzzer over the Toronto Raptors due to the birth of his second child. Not a problem, Austin Reaves spent the evening making a bunch of Raptors defenders look like toddlers who could not keep up.
Reaves poured in 44 points, shooting 13-21 from the field, 5-of-11 from beyond beyond the arc, and knocking down 13-of-15 at the charity stripe. The Lakers guard added 10 assists and five rebounds to go with that incredible scoring surge.
It was another performance that was par for the course when it comes to Reaves shouldering the load of being a top option without Doncic. The Lakers star has enjoyed four such opportunities thus far in 2025-26, and the cumulative statistics from those outings are otherworldly.
With no Luka in the lineup, Reaves has averaged 41.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 10.0 assists leading the Lakers offense. His shooting splits have not dipped either, posting over the hallmark of efficiency that is 50-40-90. In short, Reaves is unequivocally that guy.
Reaves continues to prove himself as Lakers' most important player
Many of Reaves' naysayers from last season tried to push the narrative that life was being played on easy mode for the talented offensive guard. His production was attributed to defenses paying more attention to either the combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, or Luka and LeBron.
That talking point is quickly getting debunked. Reaves has not cracked when tasked with heightened importance and responsibility, he's thrived. Pressure makes diamonds, as they say, and Reaves is an absolute gem.
On the whole of 2025-26, Reaves is averaging 28.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, with shooting splits of 53-37-88. The 27-year-old is all but a lock at this current production rate to secure the first All-Star appearance of his career.
The malleability of Reaves to thrive under any circumstance has easily made him the perfect player for the Lakers, and arguably the most important one too. Managing to keep the rising star through trade negotiations with the Dallas Mavericks around Doncic will always be one of Rob Pelinka's greatest victories.
Given that Luka flew over to Slovenia to help welcome the new member of his family into the world, it would be doubtful to see him back in the lineup against the Boston Celtics on Friday night. The Lakers will not worry about that fact one bit with Reaves still around.