The Los Angeles Lakers have parted ways with LeBron James and invested in a surplus of off-ball scoring options. The likes of Quentin Grimes, Walker Kessler, and Sandro Mamukelashvili project to play meaningful roles, but they'll likely be complementary talents rather than ball-dominant figures.
As such, the Lakers have cleared a path for Austin Reaves to emerge as the clear-cut second option and solidify his place as an early and heavy favorite for Most Improved Player.
Reaves has increased his scoring average between every one of his NBA seasons, which is reason enough to favor him. In 2025-26, however, he revealed just how legitimate his star potential is, as well as why he should be the heavy favorite in 2026-27 for Most Improved Player.
That includes the fact that, even in a crowded perimeter trio with two ball-dominant teammates, Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 2.3 three-point field goals made per game on .490/.360/.871 shooting.
What takes Reaves' case for premature Most Improved Player of the Year over the top, however, is just how great he was when James wasn't on the court. That analysis can be split into the games that James missed and the mintues during which Reaves was on the floor without him.
With James now moving on from the Lakers altogether, the path to Most Improved Player is paved with the opportunities Reaves has already taken advantage of.
Austin Reaves is a clear favorite for MIP without LeBron James
In 2025-26, Reaves played 891 minutes with James on the court and 871 without him. That nearly matching sample size of minutes produced compelling results, as Reaves went from borderline star to full-on All-Star whenever he played without James.
In the 891 minutes he played with James, Reaves averaged 22.6 points, 4.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 turnovers, and 6.3 free throw attempts per 75 possessions. In the 871 without him, he averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 turnovers, and 9.2 free throw attempts per 75 possessions.
In other words: Reaves averaged 4.1 more points and 3.4 more assists while committing just 0.1 more turnover when James wasn't on the court. He also increased his true shooting percentage from .628 to .653.
That all but perfectly aligns with the fact that Reaves averaged 28.4 points and 7.8 assists per game in the 16 outings he played without James, and 20.9 points and 4.5 assists in the 35 games he played with him.
As if that weren't intriguing enough, Reaves' marks of 26.7 points and 7.5 assists per 75 possessions without James put him in superstar territory. In 2025-26, only six players reached or exceeded those marks: LaMelo Ball, Jalen Brunson, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Jamal Murray.
If Reaves is able to sustain that level of production across the 2026-27 regular season, then his overall increase in production and value should make a powerful case for Most Improved Player.
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