Austin Reaves' stats without Luka Doncic this season are better than prime Michael Jordan

Jeremy Beren

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Austin Reaves' stats without Luka Doncic this season are better than prime Michael Jordan image

Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers went into Toronto on Thursday night in a matchup of two of the NBA's best teams to begin this season.

With top scorer Luka Doncic unavailable due to personal reasons, and with LeBron James scoring fewer than 10 points in a game for the first time since 2007, the Lakers needed someone to step up in a major way against one of the league's top 10 defenses.

Enter Austin Reaves, who dropped a game-high 44 points as the Lakers won at the buzzer, 123-120, on a Rui Hachimura 3-pointer.

Reaves has enjoyed a stellar start to the season, averaging 28.9 points per game on 52.6 percent shooting. The timing couldn't be better for Reaves personally; he can decline his player option to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end, and his stats have him in line for an enormous pay raise with his next contract.

But for the Lakers, Reaves' breakout season has helped Los Angeles withstand those games that Doncic, James or both have missed.

In four games without Doncic in the backcourt, Reaves has absolutely dominated. He has averaged 41 points, 10 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting better than 42 percent from 3-point range.

The Lakers are 4-1 this season when Doncic hasn't played, a record that shows off the team's scoring variety under second-year head coach JJ Redick.

Reaves' breakout season — in which he ranks sixth in the NBA in points per game — has made Los Angeles a scary team to play against.

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Editorial Team