In nine games played this season, Luka Doncic has been spectacular for the Los Angeles Lakers. He is averaging a whopping 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. He has been the primary reason behind the Lakers‘ impressive success at the start of the season.
Doncic had to sit out the Lakers’ Sunday night game against the Detroit Pistons because of back tightness. That is a worrying sign for the Lakers because back injuries are tough to navigate. However, it seems the Lakers managed to push through without their superstar leading the charge.
Austin Reaves lauds how the Lakers won a big game without Luka Doncic
After losing LeBron James in the summer, the Lakers have pivoted to fully focusing on maximizing Doncic. That has paid off so far, but there are times when he has to sit out games due to a nagging injury he has been dealing with.
Sunday was the best example of this because Doncic is currently dealing with back tightness. Thankfully for the Lakers and their fans, they have Austin Reaves leading the charge. He played like Doncic on Sunday, scoring 43 points to lead the Lakers over the Pistons.
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It was an impressive performance from the Lakers because the Pistons are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Moving forward, this is a good sign for the Lakers because they have found a way to keep winning without their best player leading the way.
“We just stayed calm; you can get sped up in those moments, but we trust what we got on this team. You got to weather the storm, and that’s what we did… We got a lot of guys who can play basketball; they play the right way, they play hard, they know their roles, unselfish guys who are ready to step up when their name is called,” Reaves said in his post-game interview after beating the Pistons.
The Lakers are humming positively this season, and that bodes well for the long season. Of course, it is still early, so they are building the right habits that can help them thrive during the Playoffs in April. At the moment, they are enjoying the process and aiming to keep developing.
