NBA teams want their top two players to pair well together and have a ton of chemistry.
Ideally, the two working as a unit makes them far greater than they are individually, and that bond results in a ton of winning.
Sure, we’ve seen duos who don’t always get along win. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are probably the most famous example of this. However, it’s always better if everyone is happy with each other.
The Lakers have experienced good vibes with duos turning into titles. Kobe and Pau Gasol
won back-to-back championships this way, and LeBron James and Antony Davis are the most recent example of this, winning it all during the 2019-20 season.
Whether Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves can be the next title-winning duo is still to be determined, but their friendship is clearly strong.
There are myriad examples of Luka and Austin getting along. On social media, Reaves and Dončić have both joked with each other in ways only friends can. During media availability, that playful banter, with smiles ear to ear, has also been as clear as day.
Their friendship isn’t just one of convenience. Their bond and conversations don’t come to a halt once the NBA season is over.
In an article by Dave McMenamin on ESPN, Reaves mentioned how he remains in constant contact with his backcourt partner.
“Luka,” Reaves said, “I mean, he’s one of my best friends on this planet. Talk to him almost every single day. He sends me videos of his golf swing and asks me what he can do to get better, and I tell him I’m not a coach.”
It’s amazing that Dončić and Reaves have quickly become so close. There are few people any of us talk to on a near-daily basis, and the fact that LA’s guards do that should warm even the coldest hearts.
Seasons are long, and adversity presents itself in different ways. Having a friend by your side to take on those challenges makes that path just a bit easier and hopefully flips things from bad to good faster.
So, expect the Luka and Austin chemistry to only get better from here. With Reaves re-signing and Luka also locked up long-term with the Lakers, they are the present and future of this franchise.
This is their era, and they’ll succeed or fail together as friends.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
