The Los Angeles Lakers are less than two weeks away from kicking off the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season. The Lakers will once again be led by Luka Doncic this year, who will be looking to make amends after missing the team's playoff run last season due to a hamstring injury.

The Lakers also signed Austin Reaves to a max contract this offseason, and recently, Reaves revealed the unique strategy he's considered to help Doncic reach an even higher level.

“I’ve thought about paying people in the stands to just talk crazy to him because he goes to that different level,” said Reaves, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

Indeed, Doncic seems to always respond well to trash talk, whether it's from fans or opponents, as he can frequently be seen trading verbal jabs with both parties throughout games, particularly those on the road.

Doncic will be tasked with doing even more for the Lakers' offense this year now that LeBron James is out of the picture, although Los Angeles will also be expecting big things out of Reaves after paying him like a legit number two option on a championship contender.

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Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if some of the Lakers' offseason acquisitions, including Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, and others, will be enough to compensate for Doncic and Reaves' well-documented issues on the defensive side of the ball, as well as questions about the athleticism and shooting surrounding them on the Los Angeles roster.

In any case, the Lakers are set to get their new season underway on October 21 with a home game against the Golden State Warriors.