ESPN analyst Jay Williams questioned whether Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves can succeed together long-term after the Lakers fell behind 2-0 against the Thunder. Despite Reaves scoring a playoff career-high 31 points in Game 2, Williams believes Los Angeles should prioritize adding more defensive players around Doncic in the off-season.
The Los Angeles Lakers returned from Oklahoma City facing major questions after falling into a 2-0 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
Even after Austin Reaves delivered a playoff career-high scoring night in Game 2, ESPN analyst Jay Williams questioned whether the Lakers can truly build a championship team around both Reaves and Luka Doncic.
Speaking on ESPN's Get Up, Williams said Los Angeles may need to reconsider its roster construction moving forward, especially because of defensive concerns.
"There's a lot of that that goes on during these games, not saying it's an excuse," Williams said. "Second thing I got to say, after watching last night, guys, I think we all can sit up here on national TV and say we think that the Lakers are going to lose this series, right?"
Williams revealed he had Oklahoma City sweeping the series and pointed to the defensive pairing of Doncic and Reaves as a major issue.
"I had OKC winning in four," Williams said. "I just don't know. As you think about next year, people keep talking about LeBron, where will LeBron be? I don't know how you can have Austin Reaves on the same team with Luka."
Credit AP - Scanpix
Williams also pushed back against comparisons between Reaves and some of Doncic's former backcourt teammates.
"And a lot of people try to say Austin Reaves is Luka's Jalen Brunson or Luka's Kyrie Irving. And my thing at some point though, having both those guys on the court from a defensive liability perspective is a major theme."
According to Williams, the Lakers should focus on surrounding Doncic with more two-way role players instead of investing heavily in another offensive guard.
"I think you have to get three-and-D guys that can defend, can shoot and literally construct a team around Luka," he added. "I don't know if it's worth paying Austin Reaves 30 million plus dollars and then have cap space issues to get those opposing players."
The comments came after Reaves bounced back with the best playoff performance of his career in Game 2.
The Lakers guard scored 31 points on efficient shooting, finishing 10-for-16 from the field, 3-for-6 from deep, and 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. He also added six assists in 38 minutes.
Reaves struggled badly in Game 1, scoring only eight points while shooting 3-for-16 from the floor, but responded aggressively in the second matchup despite another Lakers loss.
Los Angeles now heads back home trailing the series 2-0 while still waiting for Doncic to recover from his Grade 2 hamstring strain.
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