Although the Los Angeles Lakers have been without LeBron James, the team has managed to climb in the standings thanks to the new guard duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
Both Doncic and Reaves have happily taken the reins of the offense in James’ absence and the two are showing off some real chemistry and cohesion on that side of the basketball. The guards’ magic was on full display in the recent win against the Denver Nuggets as Doncic led all scorers with 31 points while Reaves pitched in with 22 points.
Without James, head coach JJ Redick has entrusted the offense to Doncic and Reaves steps in when his new star teammate takes a break. The dynamic lends plenty of optimism that the team is just scratching the surface of what they accomplish offensively and that spells trouble for the rest of the league.
Following the win against the Nuggets, Lakers analyst James Worthy had high praise for Doncic as he compared him to his “Showtime” running mate and fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson on the Spectrum SportsNet postgame show.
“I haven’t seen anybody like this kid since Magic Johnson,” Worthy said.
As for Reaves, Worthy compared him to another NBA legend in Pete Maravich.
“I’m telling you people. Google Pistol Pete. That’s him.”
It’s incredibly high praise from Worthy to compare Doncic and Reaves to legends like Johnson and Maravich, respectively, considering how young they are and the lack of championships under their belts. However, Worthy’s comparisons aren’t necessarily crazy because of Doncic and Reaves’ playstyles.
Johnson wasn’t the natural jump shooter and scorer that Doncic is, but both are bigger guards who have access to passes that other players simply don’t. The level of talent, touch, anticipation and consistency making difficult passes to open teammates is what separates Johnson and Doncic from others in league history.
Meanwhile, Reaves has some “Pistol Pete” to his game as he’s got a deceptively quick handle a knack for also making passes with some flair. Reaves is widely considered the third option for Los Angeles, but his skillset is more becoming of a legitimate No. 2 on some playoff teams.
Worthy has been around the game of basketball for a long time, so it shouldn’t be lost on anyone how highly he thinks of Doncic and Reaves.
Pau Gasol was shocked at Luka Doncic trade
Like James Worthy, Pau Gasol has seen a lot of basketball in his lifetime but even he admitted he was shocked when the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic.
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