Austin Reaves: The single lesson he took from five seasons with LeBron James

# LeBron

Austin Reaves spent five seasons around LeBron James. He says the most important lesson was not a new shooting move or playmaking wrinkle. It was the work required every single day to stay healthy and keep performing over an entire NBA season.

Reaves described what he observed in LeBron's routine and preparation as the difference between casual perception and the reality of maintaining elite performance. The phrase he used: there's "a lot more that goes into it than the casual fan sees." For Reaves, that means daily maintenance and consistent effort on conditioning, recovery, and preparation.

# Why this matters now

LeBron has left the Lakers and Reaves is now the longest-tenured player on the roster. The roster changes increase the expectations on him. Reaves is entering his sixth NBA season with a bigger role next to Luka Doncic. He signed a four-year contract and needs to improve his availability after playing a career-low 51 regular-season games last year because of calf and oblique issues.

Reaves also pointed to concrete steps he's taken. He hired Ed Streit, the former Lakers strength and conditioning coach, as his personal trainer. He reported having "a really good summer" and said he put himself "in a really good spot" heading into the new season. Those are direct responses to the lesson he learned about daily work and health management.

# On-court context and recent performance

In limited regular-season time last year, Reaves returned for the playoffs and produced strong numbers: 20 points, 5.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game in the postseason stretch. That playoff performance shows what he can do when available. The challenge for Reaves and the Lakers is turning that level of production into a full, durable regular season while he accumulates greater responsibilities.

# Practical implications for Reaves and the Lakers

• Day-to-day routines will be more deliberate. Reaves is modeling the approach he learned by formalizing training and recovery with a dedicated strength coach.
• Availability is a priority. Missing 31 regular-season games last year because of calf and oblique injuries changed his offseason focus.
• Leadership role will be different. With veteran departures, Reaves will be part of the leadership group and plans to lead in his own way, which includes one-on-one conversations rather than public calls-outs.

# What to watch this season

Watch whether Reaves can sustain minutes, scoring and playmaking across a full schedule. Key indicators will be his games played, scoring and assist rates compared to last season, and any public updates about his conditioning program with Ed Streit. His durability will directly affect how the Lakers integrate him alongside Luka Doncic and how they replace LeBron's previous on-court and off-court contributions.

# Bottom line