Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic pave way for new Lakers at annual media day

EL SEGUNDO — Austin Reaves doesn’t think about the confounding-yet-true reality of his standing on the Lakers.

Read more Dodgers’ Kyle Tucker can salvage his season with strong October

Reaves is old-ish.

Well, he’s not that old. The 28-year-old guard is entering just his sixth season in the NBA, and signed a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason to remain with the Lakers – and play alongside Luka Doncic – into the foreseeable future.

However, Reaves is the only remnent of a Lakers era that no longer remains.

Reaves is comfortably the longest-tenured player on the roster, tipping off the team’s annual preseason media day festivities at their training facility on Monday morning from the podium as he addressed a LeBron James-less day for the first time in his career. Lakers president of basketball operations/general manager Rob Pelinka referenced it last week. Coach JJ Redick said it out loud on Thursday: Reaves is now one of the team’s leaders.

Reaves’ role within the franchise has simply changed as the zeros attached to his paycheck have expanded.

“I never would have thought that that would be the case, but it is,” Reaves said, answering a question about how he internalizes being the player on the team who knows the organization best and has been in Los Angeles the longest. “And kind of what we just talked about in the film room is the expectation here of being a Laker is higher than it is anywhere in the world. …

“One second we’re going to be the best team in the world. And the next you lose two in a row, you’re the worst team, you can’t figure it out. Helping these guys understand that none of that really matters, it’s all about what goes on within these walls, is the main thing.”

Ask any of the Lakers’ players – nine of whom are new – their trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia in August has created a real sense of chemistry heading into the season.

Doncic admitted he was nervous about how the trip would turn out, hosting his new teammates for the first time in his home country. But Doncic’s marks as a leader have been celebrated in the early days of a team learning each other before training camp begins Tuesday morning.

“He didn’t have to bring us to his country and sacrifice his time away from his family a little bit to do things with us,” guard Collin Sexton said. “That was a big part in the leadership, and that was something that was pretty cool.”

“I just got to shout-out to Luka and his team,” forward Sandro Mamukelashvili added. “The way they set it up, the way they made it happen, I’m sure it took a lot of work to make it seem so easy for us.”

Read more Angels interim GM John Mozeliak endorses Kurt Suzuki to return as manager

Reaves and Doncic are the front of the Lakers as their two-headed dragon from a game and leadership perspective, now fit with a third star vying for star positioning on the Lakers: Walker Kessler.

“I really wanted him,” Doncic said of the former Utah Jazz center, who the Lakers acquired in a sign-and-trade deal during the offseason for two first-round draft picks and two first-round pick swaps. “I think the organization wanted him. I wanted him, all the players wanted him, so I think it’s an amazing fit for us.”

Kessler signed a four-year, $130 million contract as he joined the Lakers, saying during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas that he was “ready to run through a brick wall” for the team after the front office paid a king’s ransom to get its new centerpiece big man in the building.

Speaking Monday, now donning his No. 14 in purple and gold, the 7-foot-2 Kessler said he was at “110%” and excited that he had zero limitations heading into the 2026-27 season after missing all but five games last season after undergoing shoulder surgery.

“My shoulder feels better than it’s ever felt,” Kessler said.

The 25-year-old addressed leaving Utah, calling the experience of departing the franchise he had been with since his first year in the NBA as an “interesting process,” due to the contract negotiations attached to him being a restricted free agent. Utah, however, “will always hold a special place in my heart,” Kessler added.

Guards Quentin Grimes and Sexton – who each signed multi-year deals each with the Lakers during the offseason – noted Kessler’s impact in the paint, where he has averaged 2.4 blocked shots per game in four NBA seasons, allowing them to be more aggressive defensively on the perimeter. Returning forward Jake LaRavia has sensed Kessler’s impact too.

“I love it,” LaRavia said of Kessler, who he said will allow him to leap into passing lanes more regularly without as much worry. “I’m a gambling man.”

At the buzzer

Longtime NBA coach and former Lakers assistant Bob Beyer has retired. Beyer served on Redick’s staff for the past two seasons. Assistant coach Greg St. Jean was promoted to a front-of-the-bench role, while Michael Wexler was elevated to an assistant coach position after spending the previous two seasons as head video coordinator.

Read more Status Update: Discount retailer Burlington opens in Lake Forest