LeBron James confirms that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are the Lakers' closers
James re-affirms that he is the Lakers' third option when it comes to games that reach crunch-time.
LeBron James confirms that Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are the Lakers' closers originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Los Angeles Lakers have undergone a seismic shift in the 2025-26 NBA season.
Head coach JJ Redick knows that LeBron James is still a magnificent player, but the truth is, he is older and not as effective as before. He can still have awesome performances as he did against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. However, he will not be able to do that as consistently as he would want.
That has led the team to consider Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the best duo on the roster. LeBron shows his belief in Doncic and Reaves as a duo The Lakers won the game on the back of another 40-point night from Doncic. Of course, LeBron had a stellar night, only missing one of his field goal attempts en route to a 30-point game.
However, he does believe that it is one of the rare nights he can be on the same level as Doncic and Reaves. That is a huge compliment for the Lakers' guards because LeBron is willing to concede his role as the superstar. Doncic and Reaves have done well this season, as they are two of the league's best guards.