Lakers Rumors

LeBron James Nearing Season Debut

November 16th, 2025 at 11:45am CST by Rory Maher

Lakers superstar LeBron James has been recalled from his G League assignment with South Bay and will be a full participant in Monday’s practice, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who says the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is nearing his season debut (Twitter link).

James went through at least two practices with the Lakers’ NBAGL affiliate over the past handful of days, including doing contact five-on-five work, and reportedly showed no ill effects afterward.

This will be James’ first practice with the Lakers in 2025/26, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic.

Charania reported about a month ago that James was targeting a mid-November return from the nerve issue — sciatica on his right side — that has caused him to miss training camp, the preseason, and the first 14 games of the season. Charania’s ESPN colleague Dave McMenamin recently wrote that James could make his season debut this week, possibly on Tuesday vs. Utah.

When he suits up, James will set a record by playing in his 23rd NBA season.

The Lakers have gotten off to a strong start to the season in James’ absence, currently holding a 10-4 record.

James, who extended his own NBA record by making his 21st consecutive All-NBA team in 2024/25, could see that streak come to an end in ’25/26 due to the 65-game rule. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan hold a three-way tie for the second-most All-NBA appearances with 15 apiece.

The 40-year-old forward, who also made his record-extending 21st straight All-Star appearance in ’24/25, remained highly productive last season, averaging 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 70 games (34.9 minutes per contest). His shooting slash line was .513/.376/.782.

However, James’ ’24/25 season ended in disappointing fashion as the Lakers were ousted by Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs and he suffered an MCL sprain late in the final game.

James opted into his $52.6MM player option over the summer. He holds a no-trade clause and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Lakers Notes: Hachimura, Thiero, Game Ball, LeBron, AD

November 16th, 2025 at 8:28am CST by Rory Maher

Rui Hachimura missed his first game of the season on Saturday in Milwaukee due to a sore left calf, an issue Lakers head coach JJ Redick said the starting forward had been dealing with “all week,” writes Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group.

“With a back-to-back, probably just smart to hold him out,” Redick said. “But I don’t think it will be a lingering thing. We’ll miss him. It feels like every game I’m coaching, it’s this way. So, nothing changes.”

Marcus Smart (viral illness) was also ruled out of Saturday’s game, with Bronny James and Jake LaRavia sliding into the starting lineup. It was James’ first start of the season and second of his career, Price notes. The 2024 second-round pick has been part of the rotation amid backcourt injuries this fall, though he only played 10 minutes against the Bucks, below his season average of 11.9 MPG.

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Rookie forward Adou Thiero made his NBA debut in Saturday’s lopsided win, recording four points and one rebound in a little under five minutes of action. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN details, while the outcome of the game was never in question, there was a minor controversy after the final buzzer ended. Jarred Vanderbilt was holding the game ball to give it to Thiero for scoring his first career points, but apparently crew chief Pat Fraher had other plans, as he took the ball from Vanderbilt and gave it to a Bucks team attendant, telling players it belonged to Milwaukee. “[Fraher] said he’s going to write me up,” Vanderbilt told ESPN. “I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about. These refs, they just want to have their power or something, I don’t know. I don’t know what he was reaching for. That’s been a thing since way before I was in the league. What, was he going to take the ball home or something?“
According to McMenamin, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo intervened at center court, taking the ball from the attendant and handing it to Luka Doncic, who presented the ball to Thiero in the Lakers’ locker room. “At first I didn’t realize it was all for me,” said Thiero, who was selected No. 36 overall in June’s draft. “But I’m very thankful for this team. I think that shows how connected we are and how much we want each other to succeed.”
LeBron James, who practiced two times with the team’s G League affiliate in recent days, could make his season debut as soon as Tuesday, McMenamin adds. The 40-year-old star has been recovering from sciatica on his right side.
Before sending him to Dallas in February as part of the Doncic blockbuster, the Lakers quietly gauged trade interest in Anthony Davis last December, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints. Siegel hears those December conversations centered around the possibility of dealing Davis during the 2025 offseason, not before the February trade deadline, but obviously things changed when the Lakers were presented with the opportunity to acquire Doncic.

Lakers Among Several Teams Ordered To Turn Over Cell Phones In Gambling Probe

November 15th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

As part of its investigation into illegal gambling, the NBA has asked several teams, including the Lakers, to turn over documents and other items, six league sources tell Joe Vardon, Mike Vorkunov and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Prodded by Congress, the league is conducting a probe related to the federal charges brought last month against Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones, who previously served as LeBron James‘ shooting coach and had access to inside information on the Lakers.

The investigation is being handled by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has been contacting teams for access to cell phones, according to the authors. League sources tell them that Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are already cooperating with the investigation and voluntarily turned over their phones.

Vardon, Vorkunov and Amick point out that Mancias has served as James’ personal trainer for the past two decades and Mims has been James’ close friend since high school. Their connections to Jones are expected to be further explored as part of the investigation.

“The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” a league spokesman told The Athletic. “As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative.”

The authors point out that James, Mancias and Mims haven’t been charged with anything and haven’t been directly named in any charging document. However, their relationship with Jones could be significant, as he’s being accused of selling private injury information to gamblers regarding two Lakers players.

Jones entered a not guilty plea at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn on November 6. The government is accusing him of twice selling information to bettors regarding the injury status of two Lakers stars. The case alleges that Jones found out on the morning of February 9, 2023, that “Player 3” wouldn’t be active that night against Milwaukee and relayed that information to another person, whom he told to place a “big bet” on the Bucks. The authors note that James didn’t play that night.

A similar incident took place for a January 15, 2024, game against Oklahoma City, according to the government’s case.

League sources also tell Vardon, Vorkunov and Amick that at least two executives with teams mentioned in the charges against Jones and Rozier received notice from the league about an expanding investigation.

The authors state that the government also alleges that a “regularly starting player” with the Magic told a gambler that the team planned to rest its starters during an April 2023 game against Cleveland, and that information was sold to other bettors. A league source tells the authors that Orlando officials haven’t been contacted by the Department of Justice and the player in question is no longer with the team.

Illegal bets were placed against Portland with information supplied to gamblers by a coach matching Billups’ description, according to the government, but Billups has only been charged with participating in illegal poker games.

Sources tell the authors that the NBA is in the process of adopting stricter rules for teams to follow in reporting the status of injured players.

Injury Notes: Bulls, Shannon, Niang, Ivey, Kuminga, Thiero

November 14th, 2025 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Injured Bulls guards Coby White (calf) and Josh Giddey (ankle) both practiced in full on Friday, with contact, and are expected to play at some point during the team’s upcoming stretch of five games in seven days that begins on Sunday in Utah, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network (Twitter links).

With two separate sets of back-to-back games on tap during that week, the Bulls are still figuring out which games White and Giddey will play and what sort of workload they’ll see, according to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic (Twitter links). That’s especially true of White, who has yet to play this season and expects to be on a restriction of about 24 minutes per game when he returns.

White joked that he’s trying to get the Bulls’ medical staff to allow him to play in all five games next week, but acknowledged that’s not realistic and said he’s “pushing for three” (Twitter link via Johnson).

Meanwhile, big man Zach Collins, who has yet to play this season while recovering from left wrist surgery, is having his splint removed and will begin passing and shooting with that left hand, head coach Billy Donovan told reporters (Twitter link via Lorenzi). Donovan added the results from a CT scan were very positive and he doesn’t think it will take long for Collins to rebuild his strength in the injured hand.

Here are a few more injury updates from across the NBA:

Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. has been diagnosed with a left foot fifth metatarsal bone bruise and will be reevaluated in one week, according to a press release from the team. Shannon has already been sidelined for the past four games due to what the team was calling left foot soreness.
Jazz forward Georges Niang, who has yet to make his season debut, continues to progress through his rehab work as he makes his way back from a stress reaction of the fourth metatarsal in his left foot, the team announced today in a press release. According to the Jazz, Niang is ramping up toward a return to action and will be reevaluated in one week.
Pistons guard Jaden Ivey has begun doing on-court work as part of his rehab process following arthroscopic knee surgery, tweets Hunter Patterson of The Athletic. Ivey underwent that procedure in mid-October and was ruled out at the time for at least four weeks.
The Warriors have ruled out Jonathan Kuminga for Friday’s contest vs. San Antonio due to bilateral knee tendinitis, but Anthony Slater of The Athletic (Twitter link) says there are no structural concerns with Kuminga’s knees and the forward’s absence should be “relatively short-term.”
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero has a chance to play in his first NBA regular season game on Friday, having been upgraded to probable, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. Thiero underwent knee surgery in college and experienced swelling in that same knee this fall, postponing his debut.

Bontemps/Windhorst’s Latest: Davis, Magic, Clippers, LeBron

November 14th, 2025 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

With the Mavericks off to a 3-9 start, there’s a feeling around the league that trading Anthony Davis — and possibly Kyrie Irving as well — might be their best strategy, according to Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN. Dallas fired general manager Nico Harrison this week amid continued fan uproar over February’s Luka Doncic trade, and now personnel moves may be necessary to carve out a brighter future.

Trade speculation has already focused on Davis, who is currently sidelined with a left calf strain and has appeared in just five games this season. He’s under contract for $58.5MM in 2026/27 and has a $62.8MM player option for the following season. He’ll become eligible for an extension next summer and could earn up to $218.5MM by picking up the option and extending for three more years.

Considering Davis’ contract situation and his long injury history, Windhorst states that the Mavs may have trouble getting the return they would want in a potential trade.

“I just looked it up so I could say this to my owner if he asks me about it, AD is turning 33 in March and he’s going to be in position next summer where he’ll probably want a contract extension that would cost $70MM per year when he’d be 37,” a rival general manager said. “He’s a great player, full stop. But when you consider a player at his age with his injury history, you’d also be trading for the stress of that extension. That plays into it.”

Executives around the league tell Bontemps that while the Mavericks could still be formidable with a fully healthy roster, moving the two stars and replenishing their draft assets while building around Cooper Flagg is probably their best strategy. After the 2026 draft, Dallas doesn’t control any of its first-round picks for the rest of the decade.

Parting with Davis and Irving would also help the Mavs escape the luxury tax, Bontemps adds. The team is projected to have a tax bill around $32MM this season, and the current roster is about $16MM over the tax threshold.

Bontemps and Windhorst share more inside information from around the NBA:

The Magic have won five of their last seven games, but their offense is still just 18th in the league and the offseason trade for Desmond Bane hasn’t provided the spark that was hoped for. According to Windhorst, head coach Jamahl Mosley has turned over most of the play calling to assistant Joe Prunty, who was hired during the offseason. However, some observers are skeptical that the current roster is capable of producing an efficient offense. “It’s got to get a little better, but the pieces aren’t changing,” a West executive said. “Bane will settle in eventually. But you still have a ball-dominant, iso star in Paolo (Banchero) that doesn’t scream ball movement, player movement and getting open shots. It hasn’t been pretty at all.”
With an old roster and growing injury concerns, the Clippers may be “cooked” after a 3-8 start. Bradley Beal has been lost for the season with a hip fracture, and Kawhi Leonard has been diagnosed with a sprained foot as well as a sprained ankle. It appears the decision to invest heavily in veteran talent is backfiring, as Windhorst notes that Brook Lopez, Nicolas Batum and Bogdan Bogdanovic haven’t been productive early in the season, while Chris Paul is completely out of the rotation. “They move so slowly, they can’t recover when they turn the ball over or give up a quick transition,” one advance scout said.
The Spurs and Lakers are both off to impressive starts, but there are mixed opinions on whether they can finish in the top four in the West. A West scout doesn’t believe Victor Wembanyama can hold up for 82 games, while an East executive isn’t convinced that L.A. will get better when LeBron James returns from his injury. “Don’t ask me about the Lakers until I can see LeBron play and see him move and how he looks,” the executive said. “He isn’t just dealing with the sciatica, he hurt his knee at the end of last season, and it surely affected his training routine. He’s never started a season coming off injuries like this before.”

L.A. Notes: LeBron, Luka, Thiero, Clippers’ Young Reserves

November 13th, 2025 at 11:01pm CST by Rory Maher

LeBron James, whose season debut has been delayed by sciatica on his right side, is ramping up his activity. The Lakers superstar practiced with the team’s G League affiliate on Wednesday, including doing contact five-on-five work, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group writes.

“It was also an incredible opportunity for [South Bay coach] Zach [Guthrie] and his staff and all the guys that are with South Bay right now to have that experience,” head coach JJ Redick said. “But the reports are that he looked good, and was moving well.”

James was also a full participant in South Bay’s practice on Thursday and showed no ill effects from Wednesday’s session, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, who hears from sources that the 40-year-old forward could practice with the Lakers on Monday if he continues to experience no discomfort in the coming days.

Here’s more from Los Angeles:

The Lakers were thoroughly outclassed by the Thunder on Wednesday, losing by 29 points. After being limited to a season-low 19 points (on 7-of-20 shooting), star guard Luka Doncic said he wasn’t concerned about the apparent gap between the two teams, instead using it as a source of motivation. “Definitely wasn’t our best game, probably one of the worst this season,” Doncic said, per Price. “They all did a great job on me. They’re champions for a reason. They showed that. We need to be more ready. Obviously, it starts with me. I need to be way better than that.”
Lakers rookie Adou Thiero has been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup in New Orleans, tweets Dan Woike of The Athletic. The 21-year-old was selected 36th overall in the 2025 draft, but has yet to make his NBA debut after undergoing left knee surgery in college. Redick previously expressed optimism that the high-flying forward could return during the team’s current road trip, which concludes Saturday in Milwaukee.
While the Clippers have had a rough start to the season – they hold a 3-8 record after dropping six straight games – their young reserves have been a bright spot of late. Second-year guard Cam Christie had some encouraging performances late last week against Phoenix, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register, then Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders received rotation minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Denver, with third-year wing Miller having a career night (22 points and four rebounds in 26 minutes). “I thought they came in, gave us a lot of energy … so they got to keep growing, these young guys,” head coach Tyronn Lue said (story via Carr). “They’re going to make some mistakes, we understand that. But I did love the way they played. I thought they played the right way. The ball moved, guys got open shots, we attacked the paint, made the right play, and so just kept giving those guys room to grow. And I thought tonight was a step in the right direction.”

Kobe Bufkin Joining Lakers’ G League Team

November 13th, 2025 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

3:11pm: South Bay has acquired Bufkin in a trade with the Pistons‘ affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, the team announced (Twitter link via Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group). South Bay sent a 2027 NBAGL first-round pick to the Cruise for Bufkin. In a related move, the Lakers’ G League team waived guard Jace Carter.

12:20 pm: The South Bay Lakers intend to acquire guard Kobe Bufkin, who is entering the NBA G League player pool, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

It’s unclear whether South Bay will claim Bufkin off waivers or trade for his rights after another team claims him, but either way, the upshot is that he’ll end up with Los Angeles’ G League affiliate.

The 15th overall pick in the 2023 draft, Bufkin battled injuries during his first two NBA seasons in Atlanta. He missed a significant chunk of his rookie year due to a fractured left thumb and a sprained toe, then underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in December 2024, less than two months into his second year.

In total, the 6’4″ guard made just 27 appearances for the Hawks, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 11.9 minutes per night, with a .374/.220/.654 shooting line. The 22-year-old was traded from Atlanta to Brooklyn during the offseason and it seemed like he might get a chance at a fresh start with the Nets. Instead, he was the victim of a roster crunch last month and was waived to help Brooklyn get down to 15 players for the start of the regular season.

Bufkin showed promise during his final college season at Michigan as a scorer and play-maker, and he was productive in the G League during the 2023/24 campaign, averaging 23.6 points and 5.9 assists in 32.0 minutes per game across 14 outings for the College Park Skyhawks.

If he plays well for South Bay and shows he’s fully healthy, Bufkin could certainly earn another shot from an NBA team. Since he has just two years of NBA service, he remains eligible to sign a two-way contract.

And-Ones: NBA Europe, Oladipo, Contract Year All-Stars, More

November 12th, 2025 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA is targeting October 2027 for the launch of its new European league, according to NBA Europe managing director George Aivazoglou, who recently spoke at a conference in Milan about the league’s plans.

As Daniella Matar and Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press write, while the NBA envisions a 16-team league, it’s possible that not all of those slots will be filled during the first season. The tentative plan is for NBA Europe to feature 12 permanent teams, with the other four slots rotating based on the results of FIBA’s Basketball Champions League or certain European domestic leagues.

While no agreements with specific teams have been announced so far, the NBA has a number of countries and cities on its radar, per Aivazoglou, including Britain (London and Manchester), France (Paris and Lyon), Spain (Madrid and Barcelona), Italy (Rome and Milan), Germany (Berlin and Munich), Greece (Athens), and Turkey (Istanbul).

Matar and Reynolds speculate that there could be a more concrete update from the NBA in January, when a pair of regular season games are scheduled to be played in London and Berlin.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Having recently joined the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, former NBA star Victor Oladipo spoke to Jared Weiss of The Athletic about his ongoing attempts to make it back to the league for the first time since the 2022/23 season. “Even though I was at the top and I got to work my way back up. I’m willing to do that,” Oladipo said. “So, I’m looking forward to it. I think, like I said, I think my greatest years are ahead of me and I’m looking forward to see where it goes.”
Lakers teammates Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are among the headliners on ESPN’s Bobby Marks’ list of 12 “contract year All-Stars” — players who are in position to earn lucrative new deals with big contract years in 2025/26. Pistons center Jalen Duren, Heat guard Norman Powell, and Sixers teammates Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. are among the others singled out by Marks.
Which NBA star duos could be headed for a split? Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report takes a closer look at several around the league, including Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Grizzlies, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner of the Magic, and Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland of the Cavaliers, and weighs whether or not each pairing is likely to have a long-term future.
As part of a series revisiting the NBA over the past quarter-century, The Athletic has published its list of the top 25 players of the last 25 years, along with the top 25 transactions of the last 25 years. LeBron James holds the top spot on both lists, with his decision to take his “talents to South Beach” ranking first among the most impactful transactions of the 21st century. The Warriors are at No. 2 on both lists, with Stephen Curry placing second among players, while Kevin Durant signing with Golden State comes in second among transactions.

Injury Notes: LeBron, Garland, Sharpe, Morant, Edey

November 12th, 2025 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, Lakers star LeBron James has been assigned to the G League today in order to practice with the South Bay Lakers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

James, whose season debut has been delayed while he deals with sciatica on his right side, is being sent to the G League for the first time since he entered the NBA in 2003. The assignment will, of course, be a brief one, giving the 40-year-old an opportunity to take part in his first full practice of the season, including 5-on-5 play, Charania notes.

Charania reported nearly a month ago that James and the Lakers were targeting mid-November for his 2025/26 debut. His progress so far appears to line up with that timeline.

The Lakers, led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, have played well in James’ absence, winning eight of their first 11 games this season.

We have a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

The Cavaliers announced today that point guard Darius Garland has been diagnosed with a contusion on his left great toe after re-injuring that surgically repaired toe in Monday’s game vs. Miami (Twitter link). While Garland will miss Wednesday’s rematch with the Heat, the diagnosis is a best-case scenario for him and the Cavs, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who notes that the team hasn’t ruled out the point guard for any additional games yet. Garland will receive daily treatment and his status will be updated as appropriate, per the club.
Nets big man Day’Ron Sharpe sat out on Tuesday vs. Toronto due to what the team referred to as a left glute contusion, but the injury isn’t considered significant, writes C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News (subscription required). “He’s day-to-day, we’re not concerned,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “And we want to make sure he feels good and mentally in a good place to be ready to play. So, that’s all good news, and it’s an opportunity for the next man up.” One of those “next men up” could be rookie forward Danny Wolf, who was recalled from the G League before Tuesday’s game and made his second NBA appearance.
While Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is questionable to play on Wednesday vs. the Celtics due to right ankle soreness, center Zach Edey (left ankle surgery recovery) has taken another step toward his season debut, having been upgraded from out to doubtful, per Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. While he may not play on Wednesday in Boston, Edey could be available for Saturday’s game in Cleveland. “I’ve seen him on the court working out,” teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “I’m excited for him to be back.”

Lakers’ Reaves On Future: ‘I Want To Be In L.A.’

November 11th, 2025 at 8:06am CST by Luke Adams

Lakers guard Austin Reaves essentially picked up where he left off on Monday following a three-game injury absence, registering 24 points, seven assists, and five rebounds across 29 minutes of action in a win over Charlotte. While he has only appeared in eight games so far, Reaves has maintained a scoring average exceeding 30 PPG and is boosting his value in a contract year.

As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes, Reaves and his camp turned down an extension offer from the Lakers during the summer, since L.A. is currently limited to offering about $87MM over four years. However, the 27-year-old expressed to McMenamin that he’d like to stick with the Lakers long-term and won’t necessarily be looking to extract every last dollar he can when he reaches free agency next summer.

“I’ve said it a million times. I want to be in L.A. I love it,” Reaves said. “Even though the other extension was turned down, that doesn’t mean that I’m trying to go get a f—ing gigantic number that don’t make sense. I want to be here, I want to win. I want to do everything that can help this organization be better. So I don’t try to think about those things.”

Although Reaves has a player option for 2026/27, the expectation is that he’ll decline that option next summer in order to sign a new contract. Based on the NBA’s latest salary cap projections, he’d be eligible for a contract worth up to $240.7MM over five years with the Lakers or a four-year, $178.5MM deal with another team.

As McMenamin outlines, two of Reaves’ “contemporaries” at shooting guard, Tyler Herro and Jordan Poole, are on deals that pay them about 20% of the cap. A comparable contract for Reaves would start at $33MM — with 8% annual raises, that would be worth about $147.8MM over four years or $191.4MM over five.

Of course, with a handful of retooling teams projected to have cap room in 2026, it’s possible a rival suitor will make an aggressive offer that makes life difficult for the Lakers and complicates Reaves’ decision.

“AR’s a stud,” an Eastern Conference team executive told McMenamin. “If I were the Brooklyn Nets, I would throw all the money at him. He has shown when he gets the keys to the engine, he can produce.”

In addition to increasing his on-court production this fall, Reaves is developing a close friendship with Luka Doncic, McMenamin notes. That figures to make him all the more valuable to the Lakers, who are seeking long-term complementary pieces for their franchise player.

“They both realized that they both enjoy talking trash — a lot,” head coach JJ Redick said of his backcourt duo. “And their personalities in that regard are very similar. And so they can create a little bit of chemistry with each other just by being their natural selves.”

According to McMenamin, Redick has also encouraged Reaves to take on more of a leadership role with the team this season, and the former undrafted guard has responded well to that push.

“The biggest thing was him taking a step forward as a leader and recognizing that it’s as much his team as it is LeBron (James)‘ team or Luka’s team,” Redick told ESPN. “And acknowledging that he does have innate, natural leadership skills and being able to tap into those more consistently. I told him, he’s out of excuses. You’re no longer the undrafted guy who’s a young player. You’re one of the (main) guys now, and he’s been very responsive to that.”

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