The Lakers will look a lot different when they take the floor for the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n
Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Walker Kessler are Lakers<\/a>. Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and LeBron James are no longer part of the franchise.<\/p>\n Though much has changed, one thing the Lakers can still rely on is Austin Reaves. He remains with the Lakers<\/a> and is now unequivocally the No. 2 option.<\/p>\n Throughout his career, whether he\u2019s coming off the bench, starting, scoring in bunches, or doing the grunt work like taking charges, Reaves has demonstrated that he\u2019ll do what it takes to impact winning.<\/p>\n In a Dave McMenamin article for ESPN<\/a>, Reaves discussed the dramatic changes to the Lakers and his commitment to making any sacrifices necessary for the team\u2019s success.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody knows it\u2019s a completely different team,\u201d Reaves said. \u201cThere\u2019s going to be different things asked of different people, and if that\u2019s what JJ [Redick] and the staff asks of me, I\u2019ll do it to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaves will likely remain a high-usage player and should be in a great position for a career year. LA is compensating him as a top player, and he needs to do everything that comes with that level of pay on and off the court.<\/p>\n However, it\u2019s great that he is open to any scenario now, just like he\u2019s been before.<\/p>\n With so many new players, this is a different era of Lakers basketball. Reaves was around when the top guys were LeBron and Anthony Davis, survived the transition to Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and now he is a key part of LA\u2019s future.<\/p>\n Later in the story, Reaves elaborated on how pumped he is about the upcoming year.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pieces that are coming in, I\u2019m very excited about and I\u2019m happy to get started today and see where it goes,\u201d Reaves said.<\/p>\n So far, Reaves\u2019 career has been steady improvement year after year. This season, he\u2019ll have high expectations, and every Lakers fan desires an All-Star campaign from Reaves.<\/p>\n Based on how well he\u2019s done so far, that\u2019s a very realistic goal. But beyond that, Lakers head coach JJ Redick can continue to expect him to give the full effort he\u2019s known for.<\/p>\n So yes, Reaves will put up some gaudy numbers and have iconic shots. But he\u2019ll also put his body on the line as a screener. Reaves will dive on the floor fighting for a loose ball. And he\u2019ll speak up, rally his team when the pep in their step is missing.<\/p>\n Reaves is a fierce competitor and will do whatever it takes to win. He\u2019s already demonstrated this recently by taking less money<\/a> so the Lakers can have some flexibility in the future to add other players.<\/p>\n Whether Reaves helps raise a championship banner for the Lakers remains to be seen, but if he falls short, it won\u2019t be due to a lack of effort.<\/p>\n That\u2019s something Reaves has always been willing to do, and that\u2019s unlikely to change just because his checks have gotten bigger.<\/p>\n You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88<\/a> or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n