The injury-plagued Los Angeles Lakers fell to the Portland Trail Blazers, 122–108, at home Monday despite a standout performance from Austin Reaves.

The Los Angeles Lakers could be having another star in the making, gradually coming out of the shadows of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Austin Reaves’ recent performances certainly suggest so.

We are officially one week into the NBA season and the level of competition across the league has been unreal.

With multiple ball-handlers sidelined with injuries, there have been more two-man actions (mainly pick and rolls) between Reaves and Ayton and it has helped them better figure out each other’s

The Lakers were without their two superstars, Luka Dončić and LeBron James, on Sunday night, but Reaves put the team on his back and led them to a 127–120 victory over the Kings. With Dončić missing time due to a sprained finger and lower leg contusion and James out because of sciatica, Reaves scored a career-high 51 points to help earn the win.

Austin Reaves has become a breakout star for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2025-26 season, which could lead to him asking for a bigger contract in the summer.