Apr 9, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and guard Austin Reaves (15) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Lakers’ Austin Reaves Makes Wild Luka Doncic Prediction

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 3:30 PM ET

Fifth-year Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has emerged as one of the exciting stories in an injury-maligned first week of the team's new 2025-26 season.

With first LeBron James and now both James and Luka Doncic shelved for multiple games with injuries, the 6-foot-5 Oklahoma product has been forced to step into a primary ball handler and scoring role, and has delivered in spades.

Across his last two games sans James or Doncic, Reaves has scored a whopping 92 points on 25-of-44 shooting from the field and 33-of-36 shooting from the charity stripe, grabbed 15 rebounds and 14 assists, and swiped five steals.

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All told, the 27-year-old has been averaging 35.8 points on .573/.429/.882 shooting splits, 8.5 dimes (against a not-ideal 4.0 turnovers), 6.8 boards, and 1.8 steals a night, while notching a +6.3 plus-minus.

Reaves is leveling up at just the right time, as he has an opportunity to decline his player option and enter unrestricted free agency this summer. James, who will be 41 by then, will also be an unrestricted free agent at that point. It sounds bizarre to say, but the Lakers may need to prioritize keeping Reaves over his 21-time All-NBA superstar teammate.

Before Reaves' big breakout, Doncic had been LA's dominant scorer, also chipping in 92 points — along with a whopping 23 rebounds and 17 assists — across his first two games before going down with finger and leg injuries.

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Averaging 46.0 points, 11.5 boards and 8.5 dimes a night may be somewhat unsustainable, but Reaves, for one, believes Doncic has the potential to at least clear an average of 40 points per, a feat that has only been achieved twice in NBA history — by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63 (when he averaged 44.83 points per) and in 1961-62 (50.36, still the single-season record).

Historic Excellence on the Horizon?

Per Basketball-Reference, Doncic's 42.4 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) this year ranks behind only nine-time All-NBA MIlwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo's 42.82 as what would be the best such stats of all time, if carried out over the course of a full season. That feels unlikely to be maintained quite so long, but it's still a testament to the greatness fans are observing in the modern game.

When asked by Dave McMenamin of ESPN if Doncic could average 40 points a night while helping Los Angeles win games, Reaves wasted little time voting in the affirmative.

"Yes," Reaves declared. "He's so good, it's weird."

Reaves, too, is pretty weirdly good. When he, James and Doncic take to the floor again, it will be intriguing to see how touches are doled out.