Austin Reaves’ LeBron Comment Says Everything About the Lakers’ New Big Three Dynamic

Throughout the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have had difficulty finding consistency among their big three of Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves when all three are on the floor together.

Injuries have played a factor, but it is the rhythm that they have been unable to play with, especially with Reaves still working his way back to the All-Star form he had before the left calf injury that cost him 19 straight games.

Lakers Hitting Their Stride in Final Stretch

Los Angeles Lakers Austin Reaves LeBron James Luka Doncic — Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) is congratulated by forward LeBron James (23) and guard Luka Doncic (77) after a three-point basket in the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

However, the Lakers appear to be finally hitting their stride in recent weeks, winning seven out of their last eight games.

That has featured Reaves putting forth a strong performance alongside Doncic’s MVP-caliber play, which was evident in Thursday’s 142-130 win. Doncic scored his Lakers’ career-best with 51 points while Reaves notched 30 points, marking his second straight 30-point outing.

Meanwhile, James took more of a backseat offensively, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting along with seven assists and seven rebounds. It also featured all five Lakers starters scoring in double figures, totaling 137 points, which is the most by a starting lineup in a regulation game since the 1970-71 campaign.

What was most encouraging was that it came with James back in the lineup after missing the last three games due to a left elbow contusion and arthritis in his left foot.

Austin Reaves’ Honest LeBron Take Could Explain Why the Lakers Are Suddenly Rolling

After Thursday’s game, Reaves praised the four-time NBA champion for his adaptability.

“He’s one of the smartest guys to ever play the game of basketball,” Reaves said. “His ability to adapt and to figure out what the game needs is second to none. Like you said, he was in a couple of ball screens where he got behind the defense, was able to finish. Got a couple of offensive rebounds, I think one for an and-1. When you got a player of that stature who’s willing to play the way the game needs him to play, that just shows how selfless he is and just is a leader by example for everybody in this locker room.”

James has shown throughout his career that he can play many different offensive roles due to his versatility. With Doncic stepping into the leading scoring and playmaking role, it pushes James into the spot of letting Reaves, more often than not, assume the secondary scoring spot.

With him finally finding his rhythm since returning from injury, it underlines that more for that dynamic to be the case. Reaves has proven that he can shine offensively alongside Doncic, which puts James more into a facilitator and third scorer role.

If Los Angeles is to get the most out of their big three playing together, James needs to embrace making that sacrifice to maximize the team’s scoring output.