Austin Reaves Says Lakers Have to Replace LeBron James As 'Collective' Amid Injury
Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves gave his thoughts Friday on what the Lakers need to do in order to mitigate the loss of LeBron James at the start of the 2025-26 regular season.
When asked by reporters about replacing James' production and presence, Reaves made it clear that he believes the entire team will have to step up rather than only one player:
"We've got a lot of really talented guys, and I'm definitely not gonna go out there and be LeBron James," Reaves said. "If that was the case, people would talk about me like they talk about him, but that's not the case. We have to do it as a collective."
The Lakers announced last week that James would be out for three to four weeks due to sciatica on his right side. The timeline suggests LeBron is in line to miss at least the Lakers' first five games of the season, and possibly more.
A four-time NBA champion, four-time NBA MVP, four-time NBA Finals MVP and the league's all-time leading scorer, LeBron is in the conversation for being the best player in basketball history.
Also, even at 40 years of age, he is still among the most talented and impactful players in the NBA when healthy.
Last season, James reached the 70-game mark for a second straight year, and he was named an All-Star for the 21st time in a row thanks to averages of 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game.
In the middle of the season, the Lakers acquired superstar guard Luka Dončić from the Dallas Mavericks in a blockbuster trade, and he figures to be the unquestioned go-to guy while LeBron is out.
Among other players on the roster, Reaves will lead the way in terms of stepping up and replacing James' production to at least some degree.
Reaves is an entirely different player than the physically gifted James, but he has improved his statistical output in each of his four NBA seasons.
In 2024-25, Reaves set career highs with 20.2 points, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2.7 three-pointers made and 1.1 steals per game, while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Reaves instantly becomes the No. 2 scoring option behind Dončić, but the real question relates to who else will emerge as reliable offensive threats.
Centers Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes, forwards Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia, and guards Dalton Knecht, Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent are among the players in line for increased roles.
The Lakers are coming off a season that saw them go 50-32 and earn the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. The West is arguably even better this year, so maintaining that spot won't be easy, especially with LeBron missing time.
L.A. will open its 2025-26 regular season this coming Tuesday when it hosts Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors.
