During the preseason, the Austin Reaves and Deandre Ayton duo was an awkward pairing. Reaves’ entry passes to Ayton were often misplaced, his lobs to him were also frequently way off and turnovers were plentiful.

While it didn’t look great, with two players as talented as Reaves and Ayton, it felt safe to assume they’d figure out how to make it work.

Well, after just four regular season games, signs of this tandem being a great pairing are beginning to show.

Against the Blazers with no LeBron James or Luka Dončić, Reaves and Ayton led the way for the Lakers. Reaves had a game-high 41 points. Ayton scored 16 while grabbing eight rebounds, which was tied for a team-high in boards.

It wasn’t just their production that was impressive; how they used one another to elevate their games was mo

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