With the Los Angeles Lakers being extremely shorthanded on Friday night, with Luka Doncic getting the night off on the second night of a back-to-back and LeBron James still dealing with a groin injury, they needed a herculean effort from Austin Reaves at the controls of the offense.

And that’s exactly what they got; despite another heartbreaking loss to the Denver Nuggets, 131-126, courtesy of a Jamal Murray game-winner, Reaves put up a monster stat line of 37 points, eight rebounds, and 13 assists on 13-26 shooting from the field.

Reaves was well on his way to a huge night after an incredible first-half effort in the Lakers’ eventual defeat to the Nuggets. At the half, Reaves already had 22 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists.

And in so doing, Reaves achieved a stat line that not even his more decorated teammate in James achieved while donning the team’s classic Purple and Gold.

According to the official Lakers account on X (formerly Twitter), the only players in the Purple and Gold’s storied history (during the play-by-play era, which dates back to the 1996-97 season) to record at least 20 points and 10 assists by the halftime intermission are Reaves and Kobe Bryant.

Reaves has already proven in the past just how capable he is of leading the Lakers when the team’s bigger stars are on the mend.

The 26-year-old guard has truly come a long way from being a spark plug off the bench during his earlier years in the league to being a legitimate first-option caliber player when needed.

What makes the Lakers such a terrifying team to face when healthy is that they have three players who can take over any given game, and thanks to Reaves, the Purple and Gold were much more competitive than anticipated on the second night of a back-to-back against the Nuggets.

Austin Reaves has become a star for the Lakers

When the team is fully healthy, Austin Reaves slots in as the third option for the Lakers.

And what a luxury that is, especially when the 26-year-old has shown time and time again that he can do as much damage as his more ballyhooed teammates.

Reaves can handle the bulk of the playmaking/dribbling workload when he shares the court with LeBron James, and when Luka Doncic and James open up cracks in the opposition’s defense, Reaves can make plays or annoy his opponents with his incredible foul-drawing ability.

And with James still nursing his groin injury, Reaves will have to keep up this level of play to prevent LA from slipping in the standings.