Austin Reaves has been the talk of the NBA lately. The Los Angeles Lakers veteran has been heating up in the absence of LeBron James and Luka Doncic, and the ou

Austin Reaves' 'absolute baseline' that will force the Lakers into a tough decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Austin Reaves has started the 2025/26 NBA season on an absolute tear -- and as a result, the price for his services in the future is set to spike.

Few players, if any, have raised their profile higher in the early goings of the 2025-26 NBA season than Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves.

Austin Reaves rose up for a floater from 12 feet out and swished the winner for the Los Angeles Lakers right before the buzzer for a 116-115 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Reaves has been so good this season that LeBron James might just need to adjust to him when the Lakers' star returns

The problem with Poole, according to K-Mart, was that although he was good enough to be the number one option on a team, he did not develop the leadership qualities and good habits that Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green demonstrated.

With Luka Doncic and LeBron James out injured, not to mention guards Marcus Smart and Gabe Vincent, it’s felt a little like Austin Reaves against the world when watching the Lakers’ offense. Other teams are loading up on him and pressuring him all over the court, and that is taking a physical toll.