Kyrie Irving or Austin Reaves? Former NBA champion shares eye-opening take on the Lakers guard

Austin Reaves has become a key piece for the Los Angeles Lakers in recent months. He has been an ideal complement to Luka Doncic and LeBron James, and has shown up at key moments to lend an important hand to the team. This has led one former NBA champion to make an unexpected comparison to Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving.

“Hear me out. Right now at this stage, I’m not saying overall, is AR a better number two option than Kyrie?” wondered Nick Young during a recent debate at Gil’s Arena, causing surprise from his teammates.

The former guard, an NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors in the 2017-18 season, then elaborated on his theory: “Right now, not overall…don’t think of Kyrie back in the day, think of Kyrie right now. How much is AR averaging as the number two option without LeBron?”

These assertions led to the show reviewing Reaves‘ numbers this season. He records 19.6 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in the 60 games he has played, averaging 34.6 minutes on the court. These statistics make this his best performance in four seasons in the league.

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.

After reviewing these statistics, Gilbert Arenas agreed with Young, who immediately added: “Like I said… Remember when LeBron was out, he had 40. Think about all the buckets he gets.” However, he then concluded with a clarification: “I’m not saying he’s better than Kyrie at all.”

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Reaves’ performances since LeBron’s absence

One of Nick Young’s main points is that Austin Reaves has taken on increased responsibility since the Los Angeles Lakers have been without LeBron James, who has been off the court for nearly two weeks due to a groin strain.

It has been five games since then, with three losses and two wins. In that span, Reaves posted numbers even above his current season average. Without LeBron, he is registering 28 points per game, in addition to 7.6 assists. His best performance came in a loss to the Denver Nuggets, where he led the team with 37 points and 13 assists.

Reaves as a second option

Austin Reaves’ evident evolution in the last few games demonstrates that he has no problem assuming more responsibility within the team if circumstances require it. Additionally, he has shown an interesting chemistry with Luka Doncic during the games they have played together without LeBron James—something that could prove valuable in the coming seasons.

Kyrie Irving, however, was also a second option for several teams earlier in his career, and interestingly enough, for current Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Luka Doncic. With both, he showed outstanding performances, being a champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers alongside LeBron in 2016 and reaching the NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks last year. With a background like that, it’s hard to agree with Nick Young in this debate.