Austin Reaves may not look like a DC Comics superhero, but his on-court performances suggest he’s got the ability to save the day when called into action.

Reaves’s ability to step into different roles makes him the perfect running mate for NBA superstar Luka Doncic. The fifth-year Los Angeles Lakers guard is comfortable playing a supporting role. He is comfortable in having the ball in his hands, and he’s comfortable in not having the ball in his hands all the time.

He’s also one of the best clutch players in the league, making it imperative for the Lakers to re-sign him to a long-term contract.

Reaves has had a remarkable basketball odyssey. He was an undrafted free agent out of the University. He played his way onto the Lakers’ roster on a two-way contract before earning a guaranteed contract. And he’s gotten better and better each year.

He bumped up his scoring average to 20.2 points per game in 2025, which is 13 points better than his total as a rookie. Through the first two weeks of the 2025-26 season, Reaves is averaging an eye-popping 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 9.3 assists. Those are All-Star numbers.

His multi-faceted game fits with any superstar. He can play off LeBron James or Doncic. Having earned his spot, he navigates changing roles and minutes easily—coming off the bench, starting, or being the primary, secondary, or tertiary option as needed.

He’s capable of dropping 51 points or 41 points. He’s capable of dishing out 16 assists, and the offense can run through him. He’s got the complete game. He can be the primary ball handler, he can score at three different levels, and he shoots an 86% clip from the free throw line. He can get to the line. He has an uncanny ability to draw fouls, using his body well to draw contact.

He is a low-maintenance, unique star player. While not yet an All-Star, he can fill that role if needed.

Each time LeBron or Luka sits or misses a game, Reaves seamlessly slides into the starring role for the Lakers. When LeBron or Luka return to the court, AR goes back to being No. 2 or No. 3 without a hitch. That’s quite a remarkable skill when you think about it. Many NBA players, such as Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, and Russell Westbrook, don’t easily fit in. LaVine hasn’t changed his ways since he entered the league, whether it’s in Minnesota, Chicago, or Sacramento. Beal has struggled to find his groove at his last two stops (Phoenix and L.A.) after a successful run in Washington. Westbrook has played for six different teams since leaving Oklahoma City because it took him a while to figure out how to be a role player after being the focal point with the OKC Thunder.

Reaves has no trouble handling changing roles. His game is fluid. AR can adapt to any system, and he can do it without changing his game too much.

He has a super-high basketball IQ, and one of his greatest attributes is his capacity to remain calm during high-pressure situations. The Arkansas native has developed a reputation as a player who thrives in late-game situations for the Lakers, earning the trust of coaches and teammates.

“That guy is gonna show up in the big moments,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said of Reaves.

“He’s done that many times in his career,” Redick continued. “He’s done that many times since I’ve been his coach. I feel very comfortable with him making decisions in the late game.”

In his rookie season, Reaves hit a game-winning three-pointer against the Dallas Mavericks in overtime, providing an early sign of his “clutch” gene.

In his first playoff appearance, Reaves was given an opportunity to close the game, and he delivered. He dropped a 3-pointer to put the Lakers ahead 118-112 with 2:04 left. Then, he came off an Anthony Davis screen, beat two defenders (Tyus Jones and Dillon Brooks), and hit an off-balance jumper in the paint that iced the game with 1:30 left. He turned to the Lakers bench and screamed, “I’m him! I’m him!”

And this season, with LeBron and Luka both out with injuries, Reaves stepped up and delivered one of his most dramatic moments. He hit a one-legged floater at the buzzer after splitting two defenders in Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels to secure a 116-115 victory for an undermanned Lakers squad. This shot was particularly significant as it came in the same arena where he had missed a potential game-tying shot in the previous year’s playoffs, marking a moment of redemption.

The buzzer-beating shot capped off an outstanding overall performance by Reaves as he finished with 28 points and 16 assists in 40 minutes.

Closing the show is what star players do, and Reaves has closed the show on multiple occasions.

Reaves, who is only 27, will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. He is projected to receive around $30-$40 million per year. The Lakers can offer him a five-year deal, while others can only put down a four-year offer.

The Lakers are in a strong position to provide Reaves with the best opportunity to grow and succeed. They have stability at the top with new majority owner Mark Walter, who also owns World Series champion L.A. Dodgers. The Lakers have stability at the coaching level with Redick signed through the 2029-30 season. The Lakers also have a franchise player in Luka.

Doncic and Reaves are developing a close relationship on and off the court. They can often be seen laughing and joking on the bench during time-outs, and the banter sometimes extends beyond the game and spills over during post-game interviews. They genuinely like each other. This type of bond is similar to what Luka experienced with Kyrie Irving in Dallas.

It would be a smart move for the Lakers to continue the Doncic-Reaves partnership going. Whatever LeBron decides to do won’t make much of a difference as long as the Lakers’ general manager Rob Pelinka does his job and locks up Reaves long term.

AR is the homegrown star the Lakers can’t afford to lose.

After shedding a few pounds, a leaner and meaner Luka Doncic shredded the competition at the FIBA European championships.

The Los Angeles Lakers should be excited for the 2025-26 NBA season following Doncic’s historic EuroBasket performance in which he led Slovenia to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Germany.

“Luka’s play in EuroBasket made it clear to the entire basketball world that he’s on that incredibly short list of ‘best player on the planet’ candidates, if not at the top,” said Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, who traveled to Poland to watch Doncic.

Luka described his offseason as a “great summer,” and he appears to be in the best shape of his basketball career. He gave a taste of what he’ll be serving in the upcoming NBA season with a spectacular performance during the European championships.

Doncic led EuroBasket with 34.7 points per game, becoming the third player to average over 30. His average ranks third in tournament history, trailing only Nikos Galis’ 37.0 in 1987 and 35.6 in 1989.

Doncic looks to be in prime shape and prime position to have an MVP-type season for the Lakers, and it’s up to head coach JJ Redick — who signed a two-year contract extension to be with the Lakers through the 2029-30 season — to make sure to put Doncic in the best possible position to succeed in Year 2 of their partnership.

“I expect the best version of Luka, and it’s my job to bring that out every day,” Redick said during a Lakers press conference.

Pelinka and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss traveled to Poland to watch Doncic play for Slovenia and came away impressed with Luka’s growth as a leader.

“He not only led by example, but he was very demonstrative in practice, in terms of his expectations of the team and how they play,” Pelinka said of Luka.

Doncic seems at peace over what transpired on Feb. 2, 2025, when he got traded from Dallas to L.A. But it doesn’t mean he has forgotten about the simple fact that the Mavericks — a team that drafted him and practically raised him — shipped him out of town.

The Luka Revenge Tour is coming to every NBA city, especially in Dallas, and the extra motivation could lead to an MVP season for Luka and a potential return to the NBA Finals for the Lakers.

OneManFastBreak projects the top eight teams in the Western Conference.

1-Oklahoma City Thunder — Fresh off winning an NBA title, the Thunder signed their top three players to significant contracts and brought back their major role players from their championship squad. However, repeating as NBA champions won’t be easy, as the West is stacked and there hasn’t been a repeat NBA champion since the 2018 Warriors.

2-Houston Rockets — The loss of veteran guard Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL, hurts from a leadership standpoint. The absence of VanVleet puts added pressure on Alperen Sengun to be more of a playmaker. Sengun had a superb EuroBasket, and his blossoming game should make Ime Udoka and the Rockets coaching staff excited. The addition of Kevin Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith make Sengun even more dangerous as he’ll have more room to operate.

3-L.A. Lakers — Pressure is on head coach JJ Redick to navigate around LeBron James’ potential last season with the Lakers, which could become a distraction. LeBron is entering the final year of his Lakers contract, and the team has shown little interest in extending his deal. “We would love for LeBron’s story to retire as a Laker. That’d be a positive story,” Pelinka said about LeBron’s future with the team.

4-Denver Nuggets — The Nuggets are trying to maximize Nikola Jokic’s prime years. They traded Michael Porter Jr., one of the key pieces of their 2023 championship team, to the Brooklyn Nets for a draft pick and forward Cam Johnson. The team moved off Russell Westbrook and brought back Bruce Brown, and signed veteran Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas should lessen some of Jokic’s heavy workload at the center spot.

5-Minnesota Timberwolves — Anthony Edwards is rededicating himself to getting in better shape, and it starts on the defensive end. Ant-Man is entering his sixth NBA season. He has been to the conference twice. For the Timberwolves to advance to the NBA Finals, Ant-Man must be more detailed on both ends of the floor.

6-Golden State Warriors — When Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler are healthy and playing together, the Warriors put together a 23-8 record. The problem is that age and mileage might be catching up with Curry (36), Butler (35), and Green (34).

7-San Antonio Spurs — Victor Wembanyama certainly had an adventurous offseason. He trained with Shaolin monks in Zhengzhou, China. He trained with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston. Wemby is entering his third season as well-prepared as any player. This could be the year the Spurs return to the postseason.

8-L.A. Clippers — Allegations of a no-show endorsement contract between Kawhi Leonard and a now-bankrupt green banking company hang over the Clippers like a dark cloud. It’ll be up to head coach Ty Lue to keep the team focused and navigate around the scandal.

Play-In teams: Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Mavericks

If the bar of success means winning 50 games, winning the division, and finishing as the third seed in the Western Conference playoffs, then JJ Redick had a successful rookie campaign as an NBA head coach.

But the bar is much higher when you’re the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. If the season doesn’t include championship confetti reigning down the arena and the Larry O’Brien trophy isn’t sitting in the locker room, the season is largely considered a failure.

“I know I can be better, and I know I will get better,” Redick said when asked to evaluate his first season as Lakers coach.

“I don’t necessarily take satisfaction from how the year went,” he continued. “That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do; how we were able to figure things out on the fly and put ourselves in position to have homecourt [advantage] in the first round. But there’s always ways to get better and I can get a lot better.”

Redick made three big coaching mistakes in the Lakers’ first-round playoff series against Minnesota that contributed to the Timberwolves winning the series in five games and ending L.A.’s season.

The first mistake came in a 116-113 loss in Game 4 when Redick played his starting five 24 straight minutes in the second half, using timeouts as the only breaks. The huge gamble backfired as the weary lineup of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith struggled physically down the stretch and were outscored 19-9 in the final five minutes. Doncic and James missed point-blank layups that could have been attributed to fatigue. There were times when the Lakers looked like they were playing in mud. The ball was not moving and the bodies were stationary.

The second mistake came hours before Game 5 when Redick abruptly walked out of a pregame session with the media after becoming angry over a question about his decision not to sub out his main guys in the second half of Game 4. Redick’s emotions got the best of him and he took it as a jab about his inexperience as a head coach. As a coach or leader of a team, you cannot allow softball questions to bother you. JJ has to develop a thicker skin. Bolting out of a presser is a bad look, it shows immaturity and sets a bad tone leading up to an elimination game.

The third mistake Redick made was inexplicably inserting Maxi Kleber in Game 5. Kleber has been out for three months and barely had practice time with his new teammates. Redick not only played Kleber but he put him in the game during a crucial moment, with the team down six with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. The move was an act of a desperate coach who seemed to be wingin’ it instead of staying the course and trusting the guys who were there from the beginning. ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, Redick’s former TV colleague, called the move an irrational decision.

Playing Kleber in Game 5 and burning out his starters in Game 4 were tied to the fact that the Lakers have a flawed roster. Redick felt Kleber was a much better option than Jaxson Hayes or Jarred Vanderbilt. The lack of a true center forced Redick to lean into his small-ball lineup, which could have worked if fatigue hadn’t sunk in. Redick overplayed his hand, and it ended up costing him his chips.
Outside of Hachimura, who fought through fatigue, the legs of the Lakers starters looked heavy, especially LeBron and Reaves.

LeBron, at age 40, played 46 minutes out of a possible 48 minutes in Game 4, and it hampered him in Game 5 as he shot just 9-for-21 from the field in 40 minutes and wasn’t as active defensively. Reaves was a shell of himself in Game 5, scoring just 12 points (eight below his average) and committing an uncharacteristically high six turnovers.

In team sports, especially in basketball, when the game is close the difference between winning and losing comes down to which player steps up in the clutch and which coach makes the right calls. Redick didn’t pass his first big test as Lakers coach.

During the Lakers end-of-season news conference, Redick reflected on his challenging season and the main lessons he learned.

“I look at everything as an opportunity for growth. I look at things more like a river. It’s all part of one long, winding journey. Along [the journey] you might run into a dam … You just never know what things will come along in that journey,” Redick said. “You have to be willing to embrace failure, you have to be willing to embrace success, but you have to be able to grow in both. Everything that’s happened this year with the players, the staff, the wins, the losses have been incredibly beneficial.”

Image caption: JJ Redick’s first season as Lakers coach ended in disappointment (Getty Images)

LeBron James doesn’t want his son Bronny James to call him “Dad” when they are on the court together. But the 39-year-old NBA superstar couldn’t help avoid being a parent for a moment when he pulled a total Dad move just minutes into Lakers Media Day.

At the conclusion of an interview session with Spectrum SportsNet, LeBron and Bronny performed their usual special handshake and as LeBron hopped off his chair he told his son, “Love you, Kid.”

It’s a short and sweet message from a father to a son. LeBron is living every dad’s dream which is to be able to come to work with your son. We may not be able to play with our sons in the NBA, but we all dream about having our boy work with us side by side in whatever professional setting. Whether it’d be at the office or at the family business, being able to be on the same team as your son check’s every dad’s bucket list.

“Just pure joy, man,” LeBron told Spectrum SportsNet. “I don’t have any words. I can speak about me. You guys ask me questions about me. When it comes to him, I’m just at a loss for words.

“Just super proud. Super proud of him to get to this point. He’s a man. He’s ready to go. Whatever questions you got for him, go ahead and let him have it.”

Spectrum’s Chris McGee asked Bronny what would he call his dad on the court. The 19-year-old rookie replied, “I haven’t gotten there yet. It’s probably gonna be, like, Bron. Bron would be the easiest.”

LeBron will be entering his seventh season with the Lakers, and record-tying 22nd season in the NBA. It will be a special season for LeBron because his eldest son will be wearing the same uniform. LeBron James and Bronny James will make history as the first father-son duo to play in the NBA.

The Lakers will be in uncharted territory when the season begins on Oct. 22 as new head coach JJ Redick and his staff, which includes former NBA coaches Scott Brooks and Nate McMillan, will have to chart a plan and navigate around the challenge of carving out minutes for LeBron and Bronny to be on the court together.

It would be foolish for Redick to simply plug in Bronny into the Lakers’ normal rotation given that he’s extremely young and raw, and probably needs time in the G League to polish his game.

“I think Bronny is a young guy,” Redick told Zach Lowe on “The Lowe Post” podcast. “I am very high on him as a basketball player and I said this at his press conference I said he is kinda like our first player that we get to mold and help develop. So we’re going to look at the G League as a tool in our player development system.”

Since he started gaining notoriety in high school, Bronny has been groomed to play pro ball. He and his younger brother, Bryce, both signed with Klutch Sports Group in 2022. The agency was co-founded by LeBron and his close friend Rich Paul. Klutch helped facilitate Bronny’s draft destination, and he eventually landed with the Lakers as the 55th selection (second round) in the 2024 draft.

Bronny’s performance during the NBA summer league should offer an indication of what type of role he’ll have early in his Lakers career. He averaged 8.8 points on 35.0 percent shooting, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in four summer league games. Those are modest numbers, which suggests he’s far from being a regular contributor on the Lakers. But because of the amount of attention on the James family and the prospects of a historic event, Bronny’s learning curve will be accelerated and he will be on the bench when the season tips off.

It’s a tough position to be in if you’re Bronny, but at least he’ll have his dad close by in case he falls. Every good parent will catch their kids if they fall.