Probably no single Los Angeles Laker has stepped up his game more during forward LeBron James’ absence to start this season than guard Austin Reaves.
With a sciatica injury sidelining James, Reaves has shouldered a huge offensive role at times and thrived, as he’s averaging 28.3 points and 8.2 assists per game. He ranks second on the team behind only guard Luka Doncic — a bona fide superstar — in both statistics.
However, James is expected to make his season debut soon, and Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal believes Reaves’ role will get relegated once the forward is back in the lineup.
> “He (Reaves) can play, but when the big man come back, everything shifts back,” O’Neal said. “I’ma put it in street terms. While the O.G. in jail, you running s—. But soon as he come back home — you understand what I’m saying?”
He continued.
> “And I kinda feel for Austin ’cause he looks good,” O’Neal said. “He’s playing good. But when LeBron — when they have they full team come back, he’s gonna be reverted back to standing in the corner, taking last-second…3s.”
It is likely that Reaves won’t have the ball in his hands as much on the offensive end once James is back on the floor. The 40-year-old is a generational scorer and playmaker who’s at his best with the ball in his hands. Reaves has the outside shot needed to play off the ball for large spurts as well, even if he hasn’t shot the 3 all that well to begin the 2025-26 campaign.
But the idea that Reaves’ offensive role with James will be to merely stand in the corner seems to be a bit of an exaggeration. While he’s probably not going to finish the season averaging 28.3 points per game, he’s put together plenty of great scoring performances in past years while playing alongside James, including some with both Doncic and James on the floor last season.
Plus, he’s still — at worst — the Lakers’ third-best offensive player and an invaluable part of their championship hopes. Los Angeles can’t afford for him to take a major step back in terms of production in light of James’ return, and if he does, it’s safe to claim the franchise won’t win its 18th title in franchise history in June.
But when exactly James will be back in the lineup for the Lakers isn’t set in stone just yet. Maybe Reaves will still get another game or two to show what he can do as a top offensive option sans James, and some more big scoring performances from him would only further solidify that he needs to continue to be heavily involved on that end following the veteran’s return.