LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic and did not have to give up Austin Reaves, they established one of the best backcourts in the NBA. With Doncic stepping in at the starting shooting guard position and Reaves at point guard, the duo gave the Lakers a unique blend of scoring and playmaking.
Austin Reaves made his return to the court after missing the Lakers’ last two games due to a calf injury, and following the team’s 113-109 win against the New York Knicks, he spoke about what he’s seen from Luka Doncic as far as fitting in with the team.
“The one thing that I think everybody knows about Luka is he’s a killer. At the end of the day he wants to go win. I’ve been able to watch him for a long time in this league. That was one thing that I was really excited about was teaming up with him,” Reaves said.
“When you put a guy like that on your team, obviously everybody knows how skilled he is and the way he makes the game easy for everybody else, it’s very good to have on your team,” Reaves continued. “I feel like he’s fit in perfectly fine. Very happy to have him and can’t wait to continue to grow.”
In Reaves’ return to the court, he didn’t have one of his best games, going only 1-of-9 from the field. But that one shot was a huge three-point shot in overtime that ultimately helped seal the Lakers’ win.
Luka Doncic fitting in with Lakers
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Following the win against the Knicks, Doncic officially recorded his tenth game in the Lakers’ lineup. He initially started off his Lakers’ tenure slow as he was still finding his rhythm following a calf injury. But in the last three games, Doncic’s shot has returned.
During that stretch, he’s been shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from the three-point line, as per StatMuse. His patented step-back three-pointer that’s been one of his signature moves throughout his career, has been falling. He opened the overtime period against the Knicks with five straight points, including one of those deep three-point shots.
Following the game, Doncic spoke about what he’s learned about his new teammates during the short amount of time he’s been with them so far.
“Just the chemistry. I think everybody gets along, that’s really important,” Doncic said. “They’re well-connected. Obviously there’s room for improvements, but I think we are all well-connected. So I’m excited to be a part of this team.”
For the ten games he’s played as a Laker, Doncic has been averaging 23.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.9 steals with splits of 40 percent shooting from the field, 30.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 73.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line.