The hole left by LeBron James’ departure is a wide-stretching one within the Lakers.
On the court, the team will have to replace roughly 20 points, six rebounds and five assists per game along with the intangible impact he had on a nightly basis. Off the court, and perhaps more to that point about the intangibles, the leadership void will likely be the biggest.
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No matter what his role or status was during games, LeBron was The Guy for the Lakers. He was the star around which all others orbited. Even if the team was moving into the Luka Dončić era, LeBron was still, at the very least, a leader of the team.
His departure, then, leaves a massive leadership void that the pair of Luka and Austin Reaves will be tasked with filling this season. For Luka, it’s a role he’s very familiar with. For Austin, it’s unchartered waters.
“People lead in different ways,” Austin said on Monday at Media Day. “I’m not someone that’s going to sit out here and scream at people. I like to talk to people one-on-one, have a real conversation. That way, people will never feel like I’m trying to embarrass them in front of people.
“If it’s practice, whenever we have a down period of time, pulling people to the side, talking to them about what I see, what I think they can do better. Just trying to give everybody my input and how I see things to help them moving forward.”
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It’s not necessarily a natural role for Austin, who has spent much of his basketball career scrapping for his spot even before entering the league. Rarely are former two-way players ever looked upon as leaders, but it’s even rarer for two-way players to earn the nearly max deal that Austin Reaves got this summer.
Big contracts bring big expectations. Reaves can no longer be The Other Guy on a roster, hiding behind Luka or LeBron.
“I think he improved a lot,” Luka said of Austin’s leadership. “He talks more to a lot of people. Obviously, the new players, they’re going to look up to him, asking things. I think he took a big step forward.”
As for Luka himself, while this is a new role for him in the purple and gold, it’s one he’s very familiar with. Not only was he the leader in Dallas from an early age, but even his time in Europe as a teenager saw a lot placed on his shoulders.
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“I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me,” Luka said. “But I feel great. I feel excited and, like I said, I’m ready to go. It’s been a long time since I’ve played basketball so I’m ready.”
The often-goofy, always-competitive duo might not be seen as natural leaders, but the Lakers are banking on that competitiveness to be the driving force.
“Obviously, together, they’re immature,” Jarred Vanderbilt said. “But the maturity level, I’ve seen it rise since I’ve been here and seen both of them together. They know that there’s a lot that comes with the position that they’re in.
“I think with both of them, they’ve done a great job of, in their own rights, cultivating the culture and showing the new guys the way.”
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
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