No Luka or LeBron, but Wolves face tough task against Lakers' third star

A lot of star power will be on the sideline for Wednesday night's game between the 2-2 Timberwolves and the 2-2 Lakers in Minneapolis (8:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). Anthony Edwards is out for Minnesota, while both LeBron James and Luka Doncic are out for Los Angeles.

But both teams still have a secondary star capable of lighting up the scoreboard as the No. 1 option. For the Wolves, it's Julius Randle, who is averaging roughly 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game so far. For the Lakers, it's fifth-year guard Austin Reaves, who is averaging — and these are not typos — 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 8.5 assists through four contests.

Reaves is typically the No. 3 option behind Luka and LeBron. The former undrafted free agent has improved his numbers every year, most recently averaging just over 20 points and nearly 6 assists last season. It's very early in this season, but Reaves has capitalized on injuries to his All-NBA teammates and has taken his game to another level.

In the Lakers' first two games of the season, playing alongside Doncic but not James, Reaves put up lines of 25-5-9 and 27-7-11 (the latter coming against the Timberwolves last Friday while Doncic scored 49 points in LA). Then Doncic left the lineup due to injury, and since then, Reaves has done a pretty convincing impression of the Slovenian MVP candidate. He came one rebound shy of a 50-point triple double on Sunday against the Kings by going for 51, 9 and 11. One night later, Reaves dropped 41 points in a loss to the Trail Blazers.

Through the season's first week, only Tyrese Maxey and Giannis Antetokounmpo are averaging more points per game than Reaves.

Austin Reaves went OFF tonight 🤯

51 POINTS (career-high)
11 REBOUNDS
9 ASSISTS
6 TRIPLES
W

He is the FIFTH @Lakers player this century to score 50+ POINTS in a game ‼️ pic.twitter.com/XvER3NqImq
— NBA (@NBA) October 27, 2025

He isn't Doncic, but there are some similarities between the two. Reaves is a 6'5" guard who primarily operates with the ball in his hands and is excellent at reading what the defense is giving him. He's currently shooting 43 percent from three-point range on seven attempts per game after shooting 38 percent on similar volume last season. He can hurt you in the midrange. And he frequently looks to get all the way to the rim, where he hopes to either finish or get fouled. Four games in, Reaves leads the NBA with 12.8 free-throw attempts per night, and he's a career 86 percent shooter at the stripe.

In his 51-point game against the Kings, Reaves shot 22 field goals and also 22 free throws, 21 of which he made. Much like Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and others, he's crafty when it comes to controlling his body in order to draw whistles.

Adding to Reaves' dangerous offensive profile is that he's also a gifted playmaker. When his shot isn't there, he'll kick it out to a teammate or drop off a pass to a big in the pick-and-roll.

After Timberwolves coach Chris Finch called out Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and his entire team's defense on Monday, tonight's game should be a fascinating one. On paper, the Wolves' task is easier against a Lakers team missing two of the most talented offensive players of all time. But with how Reaves is playing to start this season, Minnesota still faces quite the challenge on the defensive end of the floor.

More Timberwolves coverage