During Tuesday’s broadcast of FS1’s First Things First, analyst Nick Wright discussed the evolving roles of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves and how their emergence could influence LeBron James’ responsibilities for the Los Angeles Lakers.
“What if LeBron was just like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be Karl Malone. I’m gonna truly play power forward.’ Now, in today’s NBA, you wouldn’t be down on the block the way that Malone was… a scorer and a rebounder and more of a defender than he has been when he’s having to play point forward essentially – and not as much of a distributor. I think that’s what’s going to happen.
“I don’t necessarily think LeBron’s scoring is going to go down, I think his assists, potentially, are going to go way down. What we are seeing is Austin is more than capable of segments in time, running the offense – being the primary ball handler.”
“Austin is more than capable of running the offense… I really do think this is going to lead to the best offense in the league in the playoffs.”
Nick Wright on Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
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Nick Wright believes LeBron James’ evolving role could unlock Lakers’ offense
He suggested a shift in James’ role could be beneficial, particularly as Reaves and Doncic continue to take on more responsibilities.
“LeBron, of the three guys, is the only guy that can wear a bunch of different hats at an A-level. Luka basically has to be Luka for him to be good, and Austin is on a hot shooting streak, but Austin is not what you would call a knock-down spot-up shooter.
“But he’s really good at drawing fouls, he’s good at getting in the lane, and he’s pretty good at distributing. I really do think this is going to lead to the best offense in the league in the playoffs.”
Wright expanded on his point by addressing the impact of team dynamics on James’ career.
“In LeBron’s career, it’s been amazing to be the second-best guy on a LeBron James team, and it’s been really good to be the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth-best guy. The one guy that’s always gotten squeezed is the third-best guy. Whether it was Kevin Love or Chris Bosh or whomever… because the third-best guy on any given night is kind of who’s open, who’s hot, who’s the best matchup, you don’t get featured.
“Well, it might kinda work out if the third-best guy is an undrafted guy, is a guy who’s proving himself in this regard and doesn’t have the expectation of… I need to have a bunch of stuff run for me and kinda has the outlook of Austin. feel like they’ve already escaped the disaster of the LeBron injury.”
Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic shine as showdown with Nuggets looms
The Lakers improved to 42-25 on the season following a 125-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. Austin Reaves led the team with 30 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. Luka Doncic nearly recorded a triple-double with 21 points, 14 assists, nine rebounds, three steals, and a block.
With James sidelined due to a groin strain, Reaves has stepped up, averaging 28.0 points, 7.6 assists, seven rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game over the last five contests while shooting 48.5% from the field and 40% from three. On the season, he is averaging a career-best 19.6 points, six assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals while shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.6% from deep.
Doncic has maintained elite production, averaging 30.3 points, 10.8 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while shooting 36.6% from beyond the arc. Since being traded from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis, he has averaged 26.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.9 steals per game across 15 contests.
The Lakers will face the Denver Nuggets (44-25) on Wednesday, concluding their season series. The Nuggets lead 2-1, with the Lakers nearly overcoming multiple absences in a 131-126 loss last Friday. The Lakers remain one game behind the Nuggets and Houston Rockets (44-25) as they aim to reclaim the second seed in the Western Conference.
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