The Lakers will look a lot different when they take the floor for the 2026-27 season.
Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Walker Kessler are Lakers. Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James are no longer part of the franchise.
Though much has changed, one thing the Lakers can still rely on is Austin Reaves. He remains with the Lakers and is now unequivocally the No. 2 option.
Throughout his career, whether he’s coming off the bench, starting, scoring in bunches, or doing the grunt work like taking charges, Reaves has demonstrated that he’ll do what it takes to impact winning.
In a Dave McMenamin article for ESPN, Reaves discussed the dramatic changes to the Lakers and his commitment to making any sacrifices necessary for the team’s success.
“Everybody knows it’s a completely different team,” Reaves said. “There’s going to be different things asked of different people, and if that’s what JJ [Redick] and the staff asks of me, I’ll do it to the best of my ability.”
Reaves will likely remain a high-usage player and should be in a great position for a career year. LA is compensating him as a top player, and he needs to do everything that comes with that level of pay on and off the court.
However, it’s great that he is open to any scenario now, just like he’s been before.
With so many new players, this is a different era of Lakers basketball. Reaves was around when the top guys were LeBron and Anthony Davis, survived the transition to Luka Dončić and now he is a key part of LA’s future.
Later in the story, Reaves elaborated on how pumped he is about the upcoming year.
“The pieces that are coming in, I’m very excited about and I’m happy to get started today and see where it goes,” Reaves said.
So far, Reaves’ career has been steady improvement year after year. This season, he’ll have high expectations, and every Lakers fan desires an All-Star campaign from Reaves.
Based on how well he’s done so far, that’s a very realistic goal. But beyond that, Lakers head coach JJ Redick can continue to expect him to give the full effort he’s known for.
So yes, Reaves will put up some gaudy numbers and have iconic shots. But he’ll also put his body on the line as a screener. Reaves will dive on the floor fighting for a loose ball. And he’ll speak up, rally his team when the pep in their step is missing.
Reaves is a fierce competitor and will do whatever it takes to win. He’s already demonstrated this recently by taking less money so the Lakers can have some flexibility in the future to add other players.
Whether Reaves helps raise a championship banner for the Lakers remains to be seen, but if he falls short, it won’t be due to a lack of effort.
That’s something Reaves has always been willing to do, and that’s unlikely to change just because his checks have gotten bigger.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
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