After LeBron James joined the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer, many assumed Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic would lead the franchise to their new era alongside Austin Reaves. Lakers head coach JJ Redick says Doncic could have an MVP-caliber season. However, that doesn't necessarily mean he's the most outspoke player on his team.
Reaves is believed to be the leader of the 2026-27 Lakers, according to The Athletic's Dan Woike.
“We're going on year two or so of Austin Reaves being the most vocal leader,” Woike said, per Reddit. “Luka Dončić is pretty quiet, LeBron James is way more of a lead-by-example player. And even before the Luka deal, Reaves was the guy who had bridged the gap between the back of the bench, the team's stars, and the coaches. He was the most approachable and has been a critical behind-the-scenes presence.”
Reaves averaged a career-best in points (23.3), rebounds (4.7), and blocks (0.4) alongside Doncic last season. But it's Reaves' vocal leadership that the Los Angeles also cherishes as it turns the page from James' eight-year tenure. It's what ultimately led to a four-year, $180 million extension over the summer.
Lakers' Austin Reaves on ‘hardest part' about playing with Luka Doncic
Lakers guard Austin Reaves revealed the most challenging part about playing with Luka Doncic. For Reaves, it's understanding Doncic's english, he said, at Media Day, per ESPN's Los Angeles.
Article Continues Below“The hardest part [about playing with Luka] is to understand his English on the court,” Reaves said. “He gets talking fast, Slovenian, Serbian, speaks 4 languages. Sometimes I’m looking at him like, ‘talk to me in English, I need English.’”
Perhaps the preseason has helped Reaves overcome this hurdle. The Lakes will host the Nuggets in their preseason finale on Friday.