Austin Reaves was once thought to be the third star on the Lakers. The Lakers management and its fan base had high expectations for the kind of improvement the player would have in his third season after a summer in which he almost turned into a worldwide hero.

During the first few games of the season, D’Angelo Russell, his backcourt partner, has undoubtedly outperformed the two gifted combo guards. The team’s triumph against the Pistons, in which D’Lo controlled from the beginning to the end, served to highlight that point. un contrast, Reaves performed entirely ineffectively un the same match. With only 6 points and 4 assists on 3-8 shooting (0-4 from 3), he concluded the game.

Has Russell officially surpassed Reaves in the team’s pecking order after his explosion in Detroit?

Examine the following statistical lines.

PLAYER A: 29.9 MPG | 13.5 PPG | 4.8 RPG | 5 APG | 1 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 2.5 TOPG | 45.6/32.0/84.4%

PLAYER B: 31.1 MPG | 17.6 PPG | 3.5 RPG | 6.4 APG | 0.6 SPG | 0.6 BPG | 1.9 TOPG | 49.2/41.9/77.4%

You are obviously more pleased with what Player B has done through 19 games when you take into account both players being totally healthy, right? Imagine we told you that Player B only earned around $5 million more than Player A, and that Player A was just two years older? It seems sense that you would want to retain Player B around longer than Player A.

Despite defying logic, Austin Reaves feels even more invincible for the Lakers

Player A, also known as Austin Reaves, seems to be more interested in the league despite the aforementioned factors. Indeed, the Lakers’ most recent purported trading partner in Chicago has expressed their want to acquire Reaves in the event of a massive Zach LaVine move. Reaves’ loss, however, would be devastating for the whole team, and the front staff has already said that they would prefer not to include him in any trade negotiations with the Bulls.

Thus, D’Angelo Russell, also known as Player B, would have to be included in any kind of trade agreement. The math would hold with only Russell, Rui Hachimura, and youngster Jalen Hood-Schifino. To even things up, the club might also consider offering Gabe Vincent, Hachimura, and Reaves.

One of the team’s two best perimeter weapons is gone in both cases. The general consensus among supporters appears to be that Reaves is much more valuable to the squad than Russell is. To their dismay, D’Lo’s spectacular night in the Motor City served as another indication that this idea may not be as solid as they thought.