LeBron James played the best game of his 21st season last night against the LA Clippers. He led the Lakers to a 130-125 victory, scoring a team-high 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. King James’ dominant performance broke the Lakers’ 11-game losing streak against Kawhi Leonard and Co. But LeBron was not the only Laker cooking last night. His teammates, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell, joined him at the party, scoring 27 points each. It was the kind of performance everyone expects from AD as the entire NBA world believes he will carry the Lakers torch now that LeBron is nearing the end of his career.

But veteran analyst Skip Bayless believes otherwise. After last night’s win, Skip Bayless believes King James passed down the Lakers’ torch to his teammate. But that teammate was not Anthony Davis.

Who will carry the Lakers’ torch after LeBron James?

Skip Bayless talked about the Lakers’ impressive win over the Clippers on his show Undisputed. He addressed a specific instance that he believed signified the passing of the Lakers torch by LeBron James. After the game, Lakers guard Austin Reaves was in the middle of an interview when his superstar teammates LeBron and AD approached him. Bron and AD started hyping Reaves for his clutch overtime performance, and LeBron kept shouting in the guard’s ear, “Go win the ball game AR!” After hearing these words by King James, analyst Skip Bayless said, “There was some passing of torch there.”

After an underwhelming start to the season, Austin Reaves finally showed last night why he was worth his $56 million contract. Reaves took over the game against the Clippers, scoring 7 clutch points in overtime. He was also the playmaker for the Lakers late in the game. Reaves finished the game with 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, and showed he was capable of running the Lake Show. LeBron has openly shown his love for AR15 in the past, and it is evident from his post-game actions that he believes in the 25-year-old guard.

Austin Reaves might be the key for the Lakers

Even though LeBron James was the best player on the court last night, we cannot expect him to take over the game every night because of his age. He will need support from his teammates if the Lakers want to be in contention to win another championship this year. Anthony Davis will have to be the best player on the court most nights to take the load off LeBron’s shoulders. But it will be Austin Reaves who might be the deciding factor for the Lakers.

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Reaves had a breakout season last year and showed that he does not shy away from big moments. If he continues to put up clutch performances like last night, LeBron James and Co. will have a legitimate chance at lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season.

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Do you agree with Skip Bayless? Has the torch been passed to Austin Reaves or does he still need to prove himself more?