The Los Angeles Lakers went big game hunting this past trade deadline without anyone knowing, acquiring first-time All-Star Luka Doncic.

Dončić joins the Lakers in hopes of being the face of the franchise for at least the end of his career.

While that is the case, Dončić enters the team and will do his best to mesh with his fellow co-stars LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

Reaves and James have had a good thing going for the last two and a half years, and it’s been a pleasure to witness. The two play off each other so well, and each has complete trust in the other.

James doesn’t often trust young teammates and prefers far more experienced players, but that was not the case with Reaves.

Reaves worked his butt off to make the Lakers roster after going undrafted in 2021. It has been an uphill battle for Reaves, but the moment James saw him play, he knew he was different.

Taylor Geas of Lakers.com mentioned how James would often be hard on Reaves at the start of his career due to the fact that he knew Reaves had what it takes to be a great player in the league.

“I remember my rookie year, [LeBron] was on my a** for a 2-week stretch, and I was getting frustrated. I would mess up in games, and he would critique me a lot. I got really frustrated because I felt like he just kept coming after me. But not in a bad way— he just wanted me to be better… I went to Phil Handy, and I was like, ‘He needs to give me a break, I’m still learning.’ And he was like, ‘The only reason he’s on you like that is because he believes in you.’”

Reaves and James are two of the best players on the team, and it didn’t take a long time for the kid from Arkansas to reach that level.

Each and every year, Reaves has taken his game to the next level. His numbers have improved, and he has shown that he can be the primary player on certain nights.

It is clear that James trusts Reaves with the ball in his hands, and he showed that during Game 1 of the 2023 playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round.

Since then, Reaves has not given James a reason not to trust him.