Austin Reaves Talks LeBron James' Impact for Lakers When Star Returns from Injury

Austin Reaves is pretty excited to get LeBron James back in action.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard believes that teams blitzing Luka Dončić in the pick-and-roll will make James particularly lethal upon his return:

"I think everybody blitzes Luka now," he said. "If [LeBron] is not the short roller he'll be the second guy in the high quad, just being able to play advantage basketball in kind of a way I assume he's never really played before, because he's been the main focus on everybody's scouting report for 23 years."

James, 41, returned to practice on Monday and is nearing a return after missing the entirety of training camp, the preseason and the regular season thus far due to sciatica. The Lakers have gone 10-4 in his absence, with Dončić (34.4 PPG, 8.9 APG, 8.9 RPG) playing at an elite level.

But getting James back will take some pressure off Dončić and raise the ceiling of these Lakers significantly.

"I guarantee you, if you ask basically our whole team, a lot of the young guys would say he is their favorite player ever," Reaves told reporters regarding James. "So his presence, his ability to lift up a team and obviously his IQ [are all welcome additions]. It's just, it's good to have him back."