The Los Angeles Lakers returned from Oklahoma City facing serious questions about their future after back-to-back losses to the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals. While Austin Reaves delivered a playoff career-high 31 points in Thursday’s 125-107 Game 2 loss, ESPN analyst Jay Williams raised concerns about whether Reaves and Luka Doncic can coexist long term on the same roster.
The Lakers now trail the series 2-0 and remain without Doncic, who is continuing to recover from a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Los Angeles has relied heavily on Reaves and LeBron James offensively, but Oklahoma City’s defense has repeatedly exposed issues on the other end of the floor.
Speaking on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Williams questioned whether the Lakers can continue building around both Doncic and Reaves while trying to compete for a championship.
Jay Williams Questions Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic Pairing
GettyLos Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic and Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves
Williams said the Lakers may need to rethink their roster construction around Doncic moving forward.
“There’s a lot of that that goes on during these games, not saying it’s an excuse,” Williams said. “Second thing I got to say, after watching last night, guys, I think we all can sit up here on national TV and say we think that the Lakers are going to lose this series, right?”
Williams added that his concerns centered on the defensive fit between Doncic and Reaves in the backcourt.
“I had OKC winning in four,” Williams said. “I just don’t know. As you think about next year, people keep talking about LeBron, where will LeBron be? I don’t know how you can have Austin Reaves on the same team with Luka.”
“As you look at next year, people talk about LeBron and where will LeBron be. I don’t know how you can have Austin Reaves on the same team with Luka. People try to say Reaves is Luka’s Jalen Brunson or Kyrie
Williams compared the discussion surrounding Reaves to previous star pairings involving Doncic.
“And a lot of people try to say Austin Reaves is Luka’s Jalen Brunson or Luka’s Kyrie Irving,” Williams said. “And my thing at some point though, having both those guys on the court from a defensive liability perspective is a major theme.”
Williams argued the Lakers should instead prioritize adding more defensive role players around Doncic.
“I think you have to get three-and-D guys that can defend, can shoot and literally construct a team around Luka,” Williams said. “I don’t know if it’s worth paying Austin Reaves 30 million plus dollars and then have cap space issues to get those opposing players.”
The comments came shortly after Reaves produced the best playoff scoring performance of his career in Game 2.
Reaves finished with 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also added six assists in 38 minutes.
The performance marked a major turnaround after Reaves scored just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting in Game 1.
Austin Reaves Delivers Career Night as Los Angeles Lakers Fall Behind 2-0
GettyLos Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves
Despite Reaves’ offensive breakout, Oklahoma City controlled the second half and remained unbeaten this postseason.
The Thunder closed the third quarter on a 23-9 run after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander picked up his fourth foul. Oklahoma City’s bench also overwhelmed Los Angeles, outscoring the Lakers’ reserves 48-20.
Chet Holmgren and Gilgeous-Alexander each scored 22 points for Oklahoma City, while Ajay Mitchell added 20 off the bench and Jared McCain finished with 18 points.
LeBron James scored 23 points and added six assists for Los Angeles. Rui Hachimura contributed 16 points while Marcus Smart added 14.
Reaves’ strong performance came while much of the postgame attention centered around officiating frustrations from the Lakers.
Reaves had a heated exchange with referee John Goble during a fourth-quarter jump-ball sequence and later addressed the situation after the game.
“I just thought it was disrespectful,” Reaves said. “At the end of the day, we’re grown men and I just didn’t feel like he needed to yell in my face like that.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick also criticized Oklahoma City’s physical defense after the loss.
“They have a few guys that foul on every possession,” Redick said postgame. “They’re hard enough to play. You’ve gotta be able to just call it if they foul.”
Meanwhile, Doncic remains sidelined with no confirmed return date. The Lakers star said earlier this week that doctors originally gave him an eight-week recovery timeline after suffering the hamstring injury in early April.
“It’s very frustrating,” Doncic said. “All I wanna do is play basketball, especially this time. It’s the best time to play basketball.”
The series now shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Saturday with the Lakers facing a 2-0 deficit.
Austin Reaves’ Lakers Future in Serious Doubt Amid Luka Doncic Fit Concerns