The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in February, pairing the five-time All-Star with NBA legend LeBron James and talented undrafted guard Austin Reaves.
Behind Doncic, James and Reaves, the Lakers finished this season in third place in the Western Conference. They faced the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs and were favored to win the series.
However, Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves beat the Lakers in five quick games, winning Games 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the best-of-seven series.
Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists with the Lakers in the regular season after the Mavericks traded him in February.
The future Hall of Famer then averaged 30.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the Timberwolves series.
Los Angeles Lakers stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves (15) believes he and Luka Doncic (77) can thrive together on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
After the Lakers' season ended, some fans and pundits questioned whether Doncic and Reaves could play together, as they are both ball-dominant players.
During an interview with Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation, Reaves said he and Doncic can mesh.
“I think it brings so much chaos offensively," Reaves said. "Because you got two guys, you know, obviously I’m not putting myself in Luka’s category because he’s a top three player in the NBA, but it brings two guys in the 1-2 spot, then obviously you have Bron too, that are willing passers, that can create chaos on defense.
"So I think it’s gonna be tough for teams to stay in front of us, I feel like we can get good looks every possession."
The Lakers can sign Doncic and Reaves to extensions this offseason.
The Buss family has entered an agreement to sell the majority ownership of the franchise to Mark Walter for $10 billion.