Austin Reaves Scrapped His Way To A Near-Max Deal, And Now The Lakers Need Him To Lead Like Never Before

LeBron James is gone from the Lakers, leaving a canyon-sized hole in Los Angeles. We’re talking about replacing roughly 20 points, six boards, and five assists every single night, not to mention the massive, absolutely massive, leadership void he filled as “The Guy” for so long. Even if the team was moving into the Luka Dončić era, LeBron was still the squad’s unequivocal leader. So his departure? That means the leadership reins are officially being handed over to Luka and Austin Reaves for this season.

Austin Reaves Steps Into Uncharted Waters

For Austin Reaves, this is completely new territory. He told reporters at Media Day that he leads in his own way, saying, “I’m not someone that’s going to sit out here and scream at people. I like to talk to people one-on-one, have a real conversation.” He wants to avoid embarrassing anyone, preferring to “pulling people to the side, talking to them about what I see, what I think they can do better.” Reaves has spent his whole career scrapping for his spot. Seriously, how often do you see a former two-way player not only get a nearly max deal, which he did this summer, but then get tapped to fill a leadership vacuum left by one of the all-time greats? Never. Big contracts bring big expectations, and Reaves can’t be “The Other Guy” anymore, hiding behind Luka or even LeBron. But now? It’s on him.

Luka Dončić Sees Reaves’ Growth As New Era Dawns

Luka Dončić, on the other hand, is no stranger to being the main man. He’s led teams since he was a teenager in Europe and then straight into the spotlight as the leader in Dallas. He’s been in this position “a lot of times,” and he feels “great,” “excited,” and “ready to go.” He even had some high praise for Reaves’ new role, noting, “I think he improved a lot. He talks more to a lot of people. Obviously, the new players, they’re going to look up to him, asking things. I think he took a big step forward.” Luka knows the drill, and he clearly sees Reaves ready to rise to the occasion.

This is the Luka Dončić era, folks, and the torch has been passed. With Austin Reaves stepping up alongside him, the Lakers are banking on this duo to define their future. It’s going to be wild to watch how it all plays out!

This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.

Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.