When the Los Angeles Lakers take the court in 2025-26, the growing expectation is that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will still be teammates. They're two of the more dynamic guards in the NBA, but trade speculation previously called their future as a backcourt tandem into question.
If the Doncic and Reaves duo is going to live up to its potential, then the Lakers will need to see the latter member of the duo rectify their catch-and-shoot woes.
Far more than one skill will need to be improved upon, of course, but Reaves' typically well-rounded skill set has faltered in recent years. It's been easy to overlook that fact when evaluating the quality of his overall play, but when the lights are shining brightest, the 27-year-old has hit a wall.
That reared its head during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, when Reaves' efficiency plumetted on catch-and-shoot threes—again.
Austin Reaves developing habit of faltering in the playoffs
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Reaves shot 39.9 percent on catch-and-shoot threes during the 2024-25 regular season. That includes a legitimately elite percentage of 44.0 after Doncic made his season debut with the Lakers—thus suggesting this pairing should work.
Unfortunately, Reaves shot just 34.5 percent on catch-and-shoot threes during the 2025 NBA Playoffs, thus marking a second consecutive dip in form during the postseason.
Reaves buried 36.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes during the 2023-24 regular season. That number was more than cut in half once the postseason began, however, with Reaves shooting a mere 16.7 percent on attempts of that nature during the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
That's an alarming trend for a player whose catch-and-shoot threes were once a definitive strength that helped the Lakers achieve resounding success.
Luka Doncic's backcourt teammate must excel on catch-and-shoot 3s
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Reaves shot 46.7 percent on 3.8 catch-and-shoot three attempts per game during the Lakers' run to the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Optimism states that he returned to that level alongside Doncic during the regular season, but postseason shortcomings are becoming far more difficult to forgive.
Reaves can justify coming up short to some degree on a team-friendly contract, [but with extension negotiations looming](https://lakeshowlife.com/lakers-face-impossible-austin-reaves-decision-plays-another-game), the margin for error is decreasing by the day.
It's also worth noting that Doncic has proven to thrive alongside efficient catch-and-shoot guards. Kyrie Irving, for instance, buried 38.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes during the Dallas Mavericks' run to the 2024 NBA Finals.
Two years prior, Jalen Brunson shot 39.5 percent when he and Doncic led Dallas to the 2022 Western Conference Finals.
Other tweaks will need to be made to ensure this partnership is fruitful, including a mutual improvement in the arena of defensive consistency. If Reaves is going to help Doncic lead the Lakers to a title, however, he'll need to improve his [efficiency in off-ball sets](https://lakeshowlife.com/lakers-resolve-major-rotation-issue-spending-dime).
A third consecutive postseason during which Reaves struggles to provide adequate off-ball value would undoubtedly spell the premature end of a promising duo.