The Lakers are opening a season without LeBron James for the first time in Austin Reaves’s career. James did not return to the Lakers and chose to sign a two-year, veteran’s minimum deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The common read is that this clears room for Reaves to grow. He does grow, but most of the room was already his, and the growth that’s left is more running the offense than taking more shots.
He Already Had the No. 2 Job
Start with the production. Reaves appeared in 51 games (45 starts) for the Lakers in 2025-26, averaging a career-high 23.3 points to go along with 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.5 minutes.
That outscored James, who averaged 20.9. Reaves and Luka Dončić combined to form the NBA’s highest-scoring duo in 2025-26, averaging 56.8 points per game.
The reporting backs up the box score. The Athletic’s Law Murray reported that James had an internal conflict over how much he had to defer to Reaves last season.
So the pecking order didn’t change in July. It changed last year, and James was the one adjusting to it.
What He Has Done With the Ball
There is still a real case that Reaves has more to give. When Dončić and James both missed time early last season, he averaged 31.1 points, 9.3 assists and 37.8 minutes per game on 48.9 percent shooting.
That run included a career-high 51 points against Sacramento. So we know what he looks like with a bigger share of the offense.
The Lakers also built the roster with that in mind. They used nearly every asset available, trading draft picks for center Walker Kessler and using cap space to make a host of long-term signings, including Quentin Grimes on the wing.
Kessler does not need touches to matter, which lets Dončić and Reaves run the offense without a third mouth to feed in the halfcourt.
Reaves’s own new deal fits the plan, too. His four-year, $185 million extension is the richest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player.
The Jumper Limits How Many More Shots Make Sense
The case against a big scoring jump starts with the shooting. Reaves hit 36.0 percent from three on 6.4 attempts last season, close to league average and below his own career norm.
Without James, more of his looks will be contested pull-ups, the kind of shot he has struggled to make. More volume at that accuracy doesn’t make the offense better. It just spreads the misses around.
Dončić also isn’t going anywhere. He averaged 33.5 points, and nothing about losing James means Dončić will have the ball less.
The 31-point stretch came when Reaves was the only creator on the floor, and he won’t be that this season. Durability matters as well: 51 games is a real gap in a season when the Lakers can’t really afford to lose either of them for an extended period.
The Verdict: Count the Assists
Reaves’s role will expand, but the growth will be in creating for others, not in his scoring average. The minutes James spent running the offense go to Reaves, and with Dončić taking the most shots, those minutes will mostly mean setting up teammates.
The preseason fit that pattern: he had 28 points and seven assists against Golden State, though there was some sloppiness with his turnovers. Those are preseason games, and they settle nothing.
Expect his scoring to land near last season’s 23.3. His assists and time running the offense should climb toward the 9.3 he averaged in the stretch when he carried the team.
Two things would change that view after about 20 games. If his three-point percentage climbs well above 36 while he takes more shots, he really has gained scoring room. If his assists stay flat while his turnovers rise, the role grew in name only.
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