Austin Reaves was not going to truly be the second star of the Los Angeles Lakers while LeBron James was still on the team. There was no malice behind that on LeBron's part either. It was just a structural issue with the Lakers' old three-star roster build.
James chose to leave Los Angeles in favor of joining the Philadelphia 76ers this past summer. Publicly, it was LeBron's decision to depart. However, the Lakers came ready with an immediate plan on how to build out the roster and it focused Luka Doncic and Reaves as the clearly defined one and two.
Tuesday night's preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors offered a glimpse of why an expanded role for Reaves was always going to bring comfort to how the LeBron saga played out. The Lakers lost 101-89. That does not count. Austin's individual display? That is a slightly different story.
Despite some sloppiness with his turnovers, Reaves stood out mightily in this one with 28 points and seven assists. That included a 23-point first half where he shot 8-of-12 from the field. It was the type of offensive display that reminded everyone why the Lakers were eager to position their star guard in a more prominent role heading into the 2026-27 season.
Lakers will get a full season of scaled-up Austin Reaves
Over recent seasons, there were always hints that Reaves was capable of more. Whenever there were absences ahead of him, and the Lakers guard was asked to handle more offensive duties, the results spoke highly of what was possible.
Just last season, Reaves averaged 28.4 points, 7.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in the 16 regular season games that he did not share the court with LeBron. Those are definitive star numbers.
Small sample size? To some degree, sure. There was still an undeniable excitement about what Reaves could do across a body of work involving a full regular season campaign. The Lakers will finally get to see as much in 2026-27.
James did try and step aside last season, to his credit. JJ Redick wanted LeBron as the third star behind Doncic and Reaves. The former Laker obliged to what his head coach was asking of him.
Reaves' touches and aggressiveness still tended to fluctuate when all three guys were playing. He may have been second star in name, but that did not always reflect in how the group functioned.
In all fairness to Reaves, this is where the human side of it all comes in. James had been a mentor for him throughout his time with the Lakers. Stepping on the toes of the guy who helped bring you up is an uncomfortable feeling for anyone, not just basketball players.
James and Reaves have now gone their separate ways. Both players are well-equipped to not just survive that split, but continue to thrive in the new circumstances in front of them. For the Lakers, that should mean seeing the full blossoming of All-Star Austin in 2026-27.
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