The 2025-26 NBA season will mark Luka Doncic’s first full campaign with the storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise. It could also be LeBron James’ last in Los Angeles. Those are two major storylines for the Lakers heading into the coming campaign, but it also just might be the season where Austin Reaves finally adds an All-Star selection to his resume.

Reaves’ quest to be an All-Star won’t come without its potential obstacles. Namely, there are question marks about his fit next to Doncic, and he will still have to share usage with both of L.A.’s superstars. It’s also worth noting that there is no shortage of highly talented guards in the West.

However, when looking at Reaves’ progression so far in his pro career and weighing other factors, he might just be in line for an All-Star nod in his fifth NBA season. Here are five reasons why.

1. Reaves’ incremental improvement has shown no signs of stopping

Not every player is able to show linear improvement every season, but Reaves has checked that box up to this point. Amazingly, he has averaged more assists and points per contest with each passing season in the league.

Across 73 games played with the Lakers last season, he averaged 20-plus points and five-plus assists per game to further establish himself as a dangerous offensive player. Reaves was one of only 23 players in the NBA to hit those benchmarks in the 2024-25 campaign (among those who appeared in at least 40 games).

Assuming Reaves continues his status quo of incremental growth on offense, he will put up All-Star caliber numbers as a scorer and playmaker and crack the All-Star roster in the 2025-26 campaign.

2. A fast start could be in the cards for the Lakers

The Lakers’ roster is looking a bit different than it did a season ago. Dorian Finney-Smith is no longer a member of the team, but the likes of Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart are going to give Los Angeles some new blood.

Here’s an optimistic view of what that could mean.

With L.A. looking revamped, the team gets off to a hot start in the coming season and establishes itself as one of the best teams in the Western Conference from the get-go. In January, the squad holds a top-two seed in the West, and with the Lakers playing so well ahead of the All-Star festivities, several of their players — such as Reaves — get a whole lot of All-Star attention.

The three-headed dragon of Reaves, James and Doncic all qualify for the All-Star Game with themselves and the Lakers tearing up the competition, and more than two players for Los Angeles participate in the game for the first time since the 1997-98 campaign.

3. Reaves has a chance to combine high scoring and high efficiency

It’s no easy task for a player to find the sweet spot of scoring the ball with strong efficiency while having a high usage rate, but that’s what many of the top talents in the league do.

Reaves has shown an ability to be remarkably efficient (see his second season in the league) and is clearly capable of dropping over 20 points per game (see last season). Now, it’s time to combine it all.

The optimistic prediction: In his fifth NBA campaign, Reaves finds a balance and posts a new career-high in points per game while scoring the ball with a level of accuracy from the perimeter that would make Stephen Curry blush.

Reaves averages 22-plus points per contest while shooting at least 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range, and he spends much of the season near the top of the league in 3-point percentage.

4. Reaves’ familiarity with Doncic will show after last season

When Doncic got traded to the Lakers a season ago, Reaves didn’t have much time to get used to playing alongside the Slovenian in the starting backcourt before the 2025 NBA Playoffs rolled around.

However, now that Reaves got to spend the latter part of the 2024-25 campaign learning what it’s like to share the court with the perennial MVP threat, they will have some familiarity to work with in the coming season.

The hope: Doncic and Reaves will prove to be an ideal backcourt pairing in the Lakers’ opening lineup and go down as one of the best offensive backcourt duos in the league in the 2025-26 season. Plus, with Smart in the mix to mask their defensive shortcomings, their holes on that end won’t be as blatant as they were a season ago.

Playing off an offensive player of Doncic’s caliber for a full season will allow Reaves to take his game to new heights and earn an All-Star selection along with the 26-year-old.

5. The injury bug could strike

Ultimately, even if Reaves checks some of the aforementioned boxes, it might still not be enough for him to be an All-Star with all the talented guards who play in the West.

Nobody wants to see injuries, but if Reaves isn’t initially named to the All-Star Game, he could be selected as a replacement if the injury bug strikes the West.

With so many star players dealing with injuries last season, it doesn’t appear to be far-fetched that some of the best guards in the game could be dealing with the injury bug around the All-Star break.