Austin Reaves Has a Weird Plan to Unlock Luka Doncic in L.A.
Reaves joked about paying hecklers to rile up Doncic, who dropped 57.5 fantasy pts/game last season. The Lakers' new era starts without LeBron.
A full season as Lakers alpha only raises his ceiling from the No. 2 overall floor.
- Doncic: 33.5 pts, 7.7 reb, 8.3 ast in 64 games (2025-26)
- Doncic ranks #2 overall, #1 at guard in our model
- Reaves: 23.3 pts, 5.5 ast, 38.7 FPTS/G last season
- LeBron now in Philadelphia; Lakers rebuilt around Luka
- Full roster did a 4-day Slovenia minicamp with Doncic
Austin Reaves has a theory about how to squeeze another gear out of Luka Doncic, and it involves hired antagonists. Speaking with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Reaves said he's actually considered paying fans in the stands to heckle Doncic during games, because he's seen how the Slovenian elevates when he's irritated. It's half-joke, half-scouting report — and it says a lot about how the Lakers plan to get the most out of a guy who put up 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists across 64 games last season (2025-26).
The context matters. This is the first full season of the Doncic-led Lakers, and it's playing out without LeBron James, who's now in Philadelphia. GM Rob Pelinka overhauled the roster, and the pressure to make it all click lands squarely on Doncic. Reaves' trash-talk idea is really a long way of saying: the whole operation runs through No. 77.
The Setup in L.A.
Doncic didn't wait for training camp to take ownership. He flew the entire roster to Slovenia for a four-day minicamp this offseason — part basketball, part team-building, all about establishing himself as the voice of the locker room. That kind of early buy-in tends to matter for usage and offensive structure, both of which feed fantasy value directly.
For a player already sitting at No. 2 overall in our rankings — and No. 1 among guards — the removal of LeBron is quietly bullish. Doncic averaged 57.5 fantasy points per game last season (2025-26), and now there's no veteran sharing the ball-handling and shot-creation load. His last five games came in a touch below his average (-3 FPTS), but that's noise on a season-long resume this gaudy.
The Fantasy Angle
Reaves is the one to watch for value shifts here. He posted 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists last year (2025-26) for 38.7 fantasy points per game, landing at No. 39 overall (No. 19 at his position). With LeBron gone, Reaves inherits more secondary creation reps, though his last five games dipped 3.9 FPTS under his average. He's a solid No. 2 fantasy guard with real upside if the offense funnels more through him.
Bottom line: Doncic is a buy-low candidate if any manager in your league is nervous about the LeBron departure or his slight recent dip. A full season as the unquestioned Lakers alpha only lifts an already elite floor. Draft him with confidence, and keep Reaves pegged as a high-end complementary piece who could overshoot his No. 39 rank if the new-look offense leans his way.
