The Los Angeles Lakers have been up-and-down without LeBron James, who's still nursing a groin injury.
But things could've been worse if not for the stellar play of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The backcourt tandem has carried the cudgels for the Lakers in the absence of James, who has missed their last seven games.
After their win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Doncic praised Reaves for having another 30-point outing.
"He's an amazing player," said Doncic. "For him to go undrafted is unbelievable. It's not easy to go undrafted and play at this level."
After a stellar career at Oklahoma, Reaves' name wasn't called in the 2021 NBA draft.
Following Doncic's remark, an old video of the 26-year-old Reaves was reposted online, wherein he revealed that he purposely chose not to get drafted, per the advice of his agent.
"The night before (the draft), the Lakers had called, and said if for some reason I go undrafted, they wanted to be the first place that said, ‘Hey, we've got a two-way (contract) for you,'" said Reaves on the "All the Smoke" podcast last year.
"So going into the draft, we knew that I was gonna have a two-way contract in LA, so we were in a good place."
He said the Detroit Pistons were looking to select him at No. 42, but he declined. He added the Pistons did not guarantee him a roster spot but only a two-way contract as well.
"I didn't really have to hear my name called either," added the much-improved Reaves. "Obviously, I wanted to, but it was always about playing the long game."
Does this explain it, Luka?
For added perspective, here are some players who were drafted in 2021: James Bouknight, Joshua Primo, Usman Garuba, Josh Christopher and Jaden Springer.
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This story was originally published March 20, 2025 at 8:19 PM.