Last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, there were three stars capable of running the show with the ball in their hands. Luka Doncic was the main creator, but shooting guard Austin Reaves handled the role, too. Of course, LeBron James, even at his advanced age, was still comfortable as a point forward, and averaged 7.2 assists.
But now, the Lakers have pared back to two stars, with a focus on Doncic and Reaves. And while the high-powered offense the team envisions for next NBA season will count on both guys, the Lakers also need to rest both players–and to force some time on the floor with only one of them handy. Coach JJ Redick does plan to stagger the minutes of Doncic and Reaves, he said on Tuesday.
Lakers Will Stagger Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves
The Lakers have other backup ballhandlers–Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Bronny James, Jaden Hardy–but none of those guards have the gravity that Doncic and Reaves have. So one of Redick’s challenges is to find how to best ensure that either Reaves or Doncic are on the floor at all times, and that Reaves and Doncic cam play as many minutes as possible together.
Said Redick: “I think with Collin and Q and Bronny as he continues to develop, Jaden if he is in the lineup, there are guys that can handle and guys that can create and initiate offense. My expectation probably at this point is, we have obviously done some work on substitution patterns, my expectation is that in general those guys will stagger and we’ll have one of those guys on the court.”
‘That’s Been Intentional’
In the early parts of camp, though, Redick says the Lakers have not even been playing Doncic and Reaves together.
He told reporters on Wednesday: “We have really just focused no our early offense and just being able to play out of things other than drag. We haven’t put our offensive groups together to be honest with you. I don’t think AR and Luka have played together in pickup or in the first two days of camp. That’s been intentional.
“We’ll obviously—those guys are going to get a ton of reps together throughout the preseason. But with the amount of bodies we have right now, playing, it’s just oftentimes, we have groups and we just want to make sure the groups are even in terms of offensive creation.”
Lakers Hint at Plans for Luka Doncic & Austin Reaves