Austin Reaves
Reaves is the Lakers' starting second option next to Luka Doncic, with high minutes and scoring volume so far, though turnovers have been a problem in recent games.
Role
ESPN's player page (about 15 days old when indexed) shows 6 games, 35.5 minutes and 23.8 points per game, with 37 minutes in the 10/30 loss at Golden State. Lineups.com (23 days old when indexed) lists him as the starting shooting guard beside Doncic, with Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Walker Kessler in other early starting fives. A HotTakes article dated today cites Underdog NBA saying the Lakers will start Doncic, Reaves, Thybulle, LaRavia and Kessler on Sunday against Toronto. That piece puts Reaves at 26.7 points per game, a different figure from ESPN's, and I did not read a primary source for the lineup. I did not find a beat-writer or minutes-tracker source on back-to-back rest plans, so I make no claim there. The wire note about Tuesday's preseason game against the Warriors does not match the dates of the regular-season coverage above, so I am not drawing a conclusion from it. Reaves played at Golden State on 10/30, which is regular-season action.
He has been a high-minute, high-efficiency scorer next to Doncic: ESPN shows 54.8% shooting, 42.4% from three and 88.1% at the line, with 28 and 29 points in two October games. He signed a four-year, $185 million deal in June 2026 (RotoWire) and averaged 23.3 points and 5.5 assists in 34.5 minutes in 2025-26, so the role looks secure.
He is the second option behind a Doncic usage rate reported near 40% (HotTakes), so his shot creation depends on how the two split the ball. He had back-to-back eight-turnover games, at the Clippers on 10/28 and at Golden State on 10/30 (ESPN game log), and drew public criticism for it (Yahoo/Lakers Wire). The Lakers are also reportedly on a losing skid and changing their starting five, so his surrounding lineup is unstable. Last year's injury history, including an oblique and a calf strain, is a durability worry, though I found no current injury report.
Where analysts split
I found no real analyst split. The open question is whether the turnover problem is a short slump or a lasting cost of playing the second-option role beside Doncic. The coverage I found is mostly news summaries, not named analysts arguing it.
Research confidence: thin. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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