LeBron James’ departure has naturally shifted the spotlight to Luka Doncic, but Draymond Green believes the biggest change may be felt somewhere else. In Green’s eyes, Austin Reaves is about to experience a level of scrutiny he has never faced before, with the Lakers entering their first season without James.

Green believes replacing James goes beyond replacing points or assists. Speaking on The Draymond Green Show, he argued that the Lakers will spend next season realizing just how much pressure James quietly absorbed every night, and why that burden now shifts onto the players around Luka Doncic.

Green said that even after over two decades of dominance, people still don’t understand the weight that James carries. “Anytime LeBron James is on the floor, A, your team has a chance to win,” Green said. “But, B, you have to account for him in a major way. And I think, personally, the Lakers are gonna feel that next year.”

Green believes Doncic benefited from entering a situation where James was still carrying much of the attention. With James gone, however, he doesn’t believe the added pressure falls on Doncic alone.

“I think the pressure on Luka rises. Luka’s cut out for it, but I think the pressure on Austin Reaves, it rises even more now,” Green said.

The warning reflects just how dramatically Reaves’ role has changed. He entered the NBA as an undrafted guard with little external pressure, but over four seasons, he developed into one of the Lakers’ primary offensive weapons while sharing the floor with James.

Draymond’s Warning Goes Beyond Reaves’ Numbers

Throughout Reaves’ rise, the spotlight almost always belonged to LeBron James. Defenses game-planned for James first, while Reaves continued developing into one of the league’s most efficient secondary scorers. That environment allowed him to expand his offensive game without carrying the nightly expectations reserved for franchise stars.

Those circumstances now change completely. With James gone and a four-year, $185 million extension making him the highest-paid undrafted player in NBA history, Reaves is no longer viewed as a complementary piece. He’s expected to produce like one of the faces of the franchise.

The growth has been steady every season. Reaves averaged 7.3 points as a rookie before increasing that mark to 13.0, 15.9, 20.2 and eventually 23.3 points per game last season. More importantly, his offensive responsibility grew alongside those numbers, with increased ball-handling duties, pick-and-roll creation and late-game opportunities becoming regular parts of his role.

The encouraging sign for the Lakers is that Reaves has already shown he can handle a larger workload. In games without James last season, he averaged 28.4 points, 7.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds while posting roughly a 30 percent usage rate. The Lakers also found success with Luka Doncic and Reaves sharing the floor without James, producing one of the team’s strongest net-rating combinations during those stretches.

Head coach JJ Redick has already hinted that the organization views Reaves differently now. “It’s as much Austin’s team as it is LeBron’s team or Luka’s team,” Redick said previously while discussing Reaves’ leadership role, underscoring how much responsibility the Lakers have already placed on the 27-year-old.

Green’s warning isn’t about whether Reaves is talented enough to handle the challenge. It’s about everything that comes with it. James didn’t simply score and facilitate; he commanded defensive attention, absorbed criticism and carried expectations that rarely reached his teammates. Next season, a much larger share of that responsibility belongs to Reaves, and for the first time in his career, he’ll be judged accordingly.