Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves, shouldering more of an offensive burden than usual, is in the midst of a major tear. His injured All-NBA First Team comrade Luka Doncic may have helped get him there.
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Reaves, who could opt out of the final year of his current contract with LA and enter unrestricted free agency next summer, seems to be growing by leaps and bounds every season.
The 6-foot-5 Oklahoma product has been so great to start the year for the very, very hurt Lakers, in fact, that Reaves may be on the cusp of becoming the Kyrie Irving-esque Batman to Doncic's Robin long-term. At 27, Reaves is just a year older than Doncic, and his offensive game has gotten so solid (slightly erratic 3-pointer aside) that he could be an All-Star for years to come. 40-year-old LeBron James, another ball-dominant offensive standout who can't really defend consistently, is a perennial injury risk.
Reaves' insane tear
Across Los Angeles' past two games, Reaves has had to put the Lakers on his back, with both Doncic and James out. In those bouts, Reaves scored 92 combined points on 25-of-44 shooting from the floor and 33-of-36 shooting from the charity stripe.
Reaves' masterpiece (so far) was his 51-point, 11-rebound, nine-assist efort in a 127-120 win against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.
As Mike Trudell of Lakers.com details, Reaves revealed that he and Doncic had been texting each other on Sunday morning ahead of the game. Trudell said the conversation comprised of the two playfully trash talking each other, which he noted "is their dynamic."
Doncic apparently informed Reaves that he would have to score 60 points for Los Angeles to best Sacramento. Because he "just" had a career-high 51 points, however, Reaves suggested that his sum would be good enough for him to "hold over his [Doncic's] head."
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On Friday, Doncic scored "only" 49 points in a 128-110 blowout win over the Minnesota Timberwolves when he blew a free throw late.
This year, Reaves has been averaging an unreal 35.8 points on .573/.429/.882 shooting splits, 8.5 assists, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals per.
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