Austin Reaves has been the talk of the NBA lately. The Los Angeles Lakers veteran has been heating up in the absence of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and the ou

Few players, if any, have raised their profile higher in the early goings of the 2025-26 NBA season than Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.

With Luka Doncic and LeBron James out injured, not to mention guards Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent, it’s felt a little like Austin Reaves against the world when watching the Lakers’ offense. Other teams are loading up on him and pressuring him all over the court, and that is taking a physical toll.

Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones check in on a few Western conference teams such as the Lakers, Rockets and Thunder, then have some fun as they bounce around the league.

Austin Reaves' play to start this season could give the Lakers a better post-LeBron James future than people previously could've imagined.

Austin Reaves is having a week. Refusing to rest on a career-high 51 points in a win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, and his 41-point performance vs the Portland Trail Blazers one day later,

Watching AR lead the Purple & Gold on his back against the Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves, Colin Cowherd began speculating whether the new Lakers ownership might be questioning if they even need LeBron to chase championships anymore after witnessing Austin's rise in confidence.