When LeBron James returned to the Lakers lineup from his sciatica on Nov. 18, some analysts expressed concern that Austin Reaves would struggle to continue his career-best year playing alongside James and Luka Doncic.
Some of those concerns could be coming true.
In his last two games — including Wednesday’s NBA Cup loss to the Spurs — Reaves has averaged a meagre 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 28% shooting. In eight games alongside James this season, he has averaged 25.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Those numbers look good on paper, but there’s been a steady dip in his touches, best evidenced by his assist numbers dropping from 8.2 to 4.4 with James in the lineup.
In 13 games without James, Reaves has averaged 29.2 points, 8.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds on 49% shooting. If the last two games are any indication, it will be hard for him to sustain such gaudy numbers, with his playmaking being most affected.
Another striking stat is that Reaves’ USG% has plummeted to 21.4 over the last two games, a steep decline from 27.5% overall for the season. The undrafted guard started the season with a USG% of 29.9 in October, but has seen those numbers dip steadily.
