It will be a long time until Luka Doncic can have his bromance partner, Austin Reaves, backing him up as the number two for the Los Angeles Lakers. The superstar point guard will have to make do with LeBron James until then.
Reaves is due to miss an extended stretch of this season after his issues with a calf injury went from bad to worse. The Lakers star exited early from their Christmas Day loss against the Houston Rockets, leaving Doncic and James to fend for themselves. It did not go well.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 27, 2025
The follow-up to their brutal beatdown at the hands of the Rockets went much better. The Lakers had one of their most convincing wins of the season. A shorthanded Los Angeles team enjoyed a dominant 125-101 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
After the game was over, Doncic was asked if this was an important stretch for his relationship with James. The Lakers superstar kept his response short and sweet.
"Yes. It is important," Doncic told reporters. "What do you want me to say more?"
Luka Doncic and LeBron James must synergize with Austin Reaves out
The question, in itself, had an obvious answer to it. There is no rocket science here. Doncic asking the reporter what more was needed from his response paints that picture clearly.
The first audition for Doncic and James as a duo, following their Christmas crisis involving Reaves, went pretty well for both parties. Both Luka and LeBron played big parts in the win over the Kings.
Doncic played the leading role, as usual. The Lakers point guard finished with 34 points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Luka also stood out defensively, adding three steals and one block on that end.
James's performance was more modest, but only by comparison. LeBron had 24 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals on Sunday.
JJ Redick did his part to help too. The Lakers head coach found a more natural way to stagger minutes, positioning his best players in a way that would allow both of them to thrive.
The crucial part that is worth mentioning here focuses on just how well the duo operated together. In 18 minutes on the court, the two-man combination of Doncic and James finished with a net rating of 28.6. That is a huge improvement on what those figures looked like entering the ball game.
Before Sunday, Doncic and James had a net rating of -13.2 sharing the court for 261 minutes in their 11 appearances together. That is an ugly number made even more ghastly considering these are two of the Lakers' top three players. They are now up to -10.3 as a duo — still rough, but trending upward.
Reaves won't be back for a while. If for no other reason than pure necessity, the Lakers stars will be forced to figure things out.