The Lakers have Luka Doncic now, but Austin Reaves keeps making sure nobody gets too comfortable calling this team anything but a two-man problem.
In a 125-117 win over the LA Clippers, Reaves was the Lakers’ top scorer with 28 points, outpacing Doncic’s 23. Walker Kessler added 22 as the Lakers held off their city rivals even though the Clippers scored more in the fourth quarter.
Through two games, Doncic and Reaves have matched each other point for point. Doncic has 51 total after scoring 28 against Golden State and 23 against the Clippers.
Reaves has the same total, putting up 23 in Game 1 and 28 in Game 2. Reaves also has one more assist than Doncic, 15-14, through the opening two contests.
That balance has given the Lakers a look that’s tough to pin down, especially with Kessler supplying production inside and giving the team an edge at both ends of the paint.
On the Lakers’ postgame show on Spectrum, Lakers legend James Worthy said the threat doesn’t stop with Doncic. In his eyes, Reaves may be the tougher cover.
Worthy explained: “It’s trouble with Luka handling the ball like that… Put it in Reaves’ hands, Reaves can actually step it up a notch because he’s so creative with the ball.
“He draws fouls, he can find the open man. So between the two of them, especially Austin, they keep a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Worthy kept going, praising the way Reaves operates with and without the ball.
“He’s kind of like a good jazz musician. He plays in between the notes.
That’s what makes it so hard. He’s so good at taking long steps and taking it between before the defense gets set.
“He’s a very clean player. He’s unique. You don’t see his style of getting through the paint.”
Reaves drew more admiration from another former Laker, Derek Fisher, who pointed to the all-around nature of his game.
Fisher said: “You are going to continue to see this all around game from Austin. He’s able to make shots, he’s crafty.
“When you got the ball on the string the way Austin does, there’s really nothing the defense can do. He either makes the mistake, or something good is going to happen.”
Kevin Garnett added his own stamp of approval on his KG Certified podcast, where he went even bigger with the praise.
He said: “Austin Reaves look like some video game s***. You watching it? He looked confident like ‘yeah it’s me and Luka’.”
The Lakers still have room to grow, with several role players still settling in. But with Doncic and Reaves already steering the offense, they’ve got plenty of firepower while the rest of the group catches up.
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