The Los Angeles Lakers have been rolling this season, currently sitting at 17-6 after a recent road win over the Philadelphia 76ers. LeBron James turned back the clock in that one, hitting a barrage of clutch jumpers late in the game to help Los Angeles get the win despite an off night from Austin Reaves.
Low scoring games from Reaves have been few and far between so far in 2025-26, and recently, James took to his “Mind the Game” podcast to speak on what has contributed to the former Arkansas Razorback's rise this year.
“Confidence, he’s also healthier this year then he was last year. And I know he kind of sat out a couple of games this year. But last year he was dealing with a toe issue late in the season. So he came into the season a lot healthier. But also just the confidence understanding that his role is going to continue to pick up,” said James.
“He’s not just one of the guys. He’s one of the guy on our team. He wants that responsibility. I think the coaching staff and JJ knew it wasn’t too far fetched to give him more responsibility and he’s just taken full advantage of it,” he added.
Reaves is averaging north of 28 points per game this year and seems to be a lock to make his first All-Star team in two months. His rapid rise as a scorer has helped the Lakers survive in the large chunks of time that James has missed so far due to injury, and it will be interesting to see how his role does or does not change as James continues to reintegrate into the lineup.
In any case, the Lakers will next take the floor on Wednesday night for a home game against the San Antonio Spurs as part of the NBA Cup.
