LUKA DONCIC + AUSTIN REAVES + LEBRON JAMES = BEST BIG 3 IN NBA HISTORY?

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

The Big Three era officially launched in the offseason of 2007 when the Boston Celtics acquired both Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to serve as superior sidekicks to Paul Pierce. The mega moves sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, as the league had never produced such a tantalizing trio of top-notch players on the same team. It came as a shock to absolutely nobody when the Shamrocks surged their way to a seemingly simple championship crown in the ensuing ‘07-’08 season.

Opposing organizations took note of the instant success which accompanied Boston’s brilliant superstar spending spree.

A few years filled with Boston, Cleveland, and the prime Dwight Howard Orlando Magic consistently clashing for the East’s top spot later, and Pat Riley decided it was time for Miami to ignite an iconic era of it’s own. Bringing aboard basketball’s clear-cut/no questions asked best player at the time was an astronomical acquisition in and of itself, but let us not forget that Bosh was the best Toronto Raptor in the team’s history at the time.

The puzzle pieces did not piece together as promptly in Miami’s case when compared with Boston, as the Heat were more or less man-handled by Dirk’s Dallas Mavericks in the ensuing 2011 NBA Finals. But the bounce back was big time, being that those same Heat cobbled together consecutive championships in the two seasons immediately following the first year failure.

The Heat’s first title of the two in 2012 came against Oklahoma City’s own historically renowned Big Three: Kevin Durant x Russell Westbrook x James Harden. While OKC’s trio never received the opportunity to grow together which it rightfully deserved, Miami’s runner-up in the following 2013 NBA Finals certainly did. Not only were Tony Duncan x Tony Parker x 6th Man of a Lifetime Manu Ginobli amongst the most masterful 3-headed monsters ever to share the court, they were coached by arguably the greatest mastermind to ever control the clipboard in Pop.

San Antonio fought Miami tooth and nail until the final buzzer sounded in the aforementioned ‘13 Finals, then proceeded to end the Heat dynasty as we know it via it’s 4-1 series walloping in the following ‘14 Finals. Miami toppling at the hands of the Spurs triggered further movement amongst triangular circles around the association.

First and foremost, LeBron reverted back to Cleveland from the sandy shores of South Beach. This time, he would actually have some serious ancillary support hooping in his hometown with a 22-year-old Kyrie Irving preparing for his fourth NBA szn as a Cav + a prime Kevin Love (easily a top 5 big body in the game at the time) relocating to The Land. A franchise left heartbroken just 4 years prior was resurrected in the wake of a massive overhaul on the part of Dan Gilbert and his front office friendlies, resulting in a quartet of consecutive Finals clashes with arguably the juggernaut of all NBA juggernauts: the Golden State Warriors.

The first round of that 4-part theatrical masterpiece featured a rising ‘14-’15 Dubs squad spotlighted by a commencement of the Splash Bros. Steph Curry x Klay Thompson were the league’s undisputed best backcourt and were surrounded by a supporting cast of All-NBA Role Player first teamers. The Splashers elite perimeter powers blended perfectly with a deep rotation of role players who each brought their own set of contributions to the table day in/out. Their synergy shined under Steve Kerr’s guidance, and the franchise’s newfound sense of next level chemistry overwhelmed the Cavs’ stacked squad.

LeBron took that sh__ personally. And he personally (41.7 MPG x 29.7 PPG x 11.3 RPG x 8.9 APG x 2.6 SPG x 2.3 BPG) pushed the Cavs to triumph in the epic 7-game NBA Finals gauntlet the next season, re-claiming his crown with the help of his trusty sidekick Kyrie even despite a lackluster finals showing from supposed interstellar hypotenuse Kevin Love (26.3 MPG x 8.5 PPG x 6.8 RPG x 36.2% FG x 26.3% 3FG in 6 games).

Bob Myers and the Warriors front office took that same aforementioned sh__ personally. And it was Kevin Durant following LBJ’s footsteps into the ‘Can’t Beat ‘Em-Join ‘Em’ club.

The announcement of KD’s signing with Golden State shook the entire NBA galaxy. Much less shocking were the team’s pair of championship campaigns immediately ensuing. But after Durant’s stunningly tragic Achilles tear in Game 5 proved to fatal for the Warriors to overcome a tuff Toronto Raptors team in the 2019 NBA Finals, Slim Reaper surprised everyone by switching up on his boys (again) from The Bay in the offseason that ensued. He and Kyrie Irving simultaneously elected to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. A year and some change later, Brooklyn made another super splash in scoring severely disgruntled James Harden from the Houston Rockets.

But the Durant-Irving-Harden trio never worked out, and that failed experiment seemed to temper teams’ appetite for assembling Big Threes (aside from the Phoenix Suns, who are already benefitting from their pivot off the KD-Book-Beal trial AND briefly the Lakeshow x Russell Westbrook). Rather, the most recent championship clubs have featured superstar duos surrounded by superstar supporting casts. And by all means, that approach seems to be the right recipe for success.

But what happens when one of the supporting cast afterthoughts demands their spot in the superstar discussion? More specifically, what happens when an undrafted player makes the ultimate statement to the scouts who surpassed him by ascending all the way up the league ladder from an unsuspecting contributor to an undoubted alpha?

The NBA has seen a lot of underdog stories throughout it’s rich history. There have been guys like Jeremy Lin who grabbed national attention via their temporary spans of unforeseen x unstoppable greatness. And every year there are guys who come out of nowhere to stake their place in the league, with this year’s most noteworthy version being Ryan Rollins in Milwaukee.

But when you think back throughout NBA history, can you honestly ever recall a more unforeseen superstar ascension than Austin Reaves?

Given Reaves’s consistently gradual progression through His first 4 seasons, all signs seemed to indicate that the next step was earning an All-Star election this season. Not only has He already clearly distinguished himself as an All-Star this szn as anticipated, His performance thus far has shattered what anyone could have genuinely expected: 17 GAMES x 17 STARTS x 36.6 MPG x 28.1 PPG x 5.7 RPG x 6.6 APG vs 3.3 TOPG x 1.2 BPG x 51.9% FG x 36.4% 3FG x 88.3% FT.

The Lakers (15-5) trail only the mighty Thunder in the West, and it is no coincidence that their scalding start as a collective squad coincides with Reaves’s scalding start as a collected playmaker. If the szn ended today, Luka would be the Laker representative in the top 3 of the MVP conversation. If you zoom the lens out to a top 10-15 perspective of that same conversation, you will see Reaves sitting snuggly clear as day.

As insane as it is to imagine, the 3rd best player on the active Lakers roster is also THE best player in NBA history.

Some wondered how 4x MVP LeBron James would fit into the equation upon his return. Would he look to assert himself above Luka? Could his presence on the court taper Reaves’s rise? Will Rob Pelinka do the unthinkable and look to trade the King in a puzzling plot twist?

Aside from yesterday’s ugly 125-108 loss at home versus the Suns, early impressions on the Lakers’ refurbished Big Three have been positive. The team is now 4-1 in the games all 3 have been active (James missed Sunday’s win over New Orleans), and LBJ is still shaking off some rust as he re-discovers his full rhythm: 32.2 MPG x 15.2 PPG x 4.0 RPG x 7.2 APG vs 2.0 TOPG x 0.8 SPG x 0.2 BPG x 46.0% FG x 31.8% 3FG x 55.0% FT.

What exactly is this trio’s ceiling once James does indeed re-discover his full rhythm?

It is probably unrealistic to expect Doncic and Reaves to sustain their supersized scoring statlines throughout the entire year, especially considering James’s previously noted return to form. Say all you want about Father Time, but aint no way LeBron puts up anything less than 18-20 PPG this year. He is just too physically overpowering and still gets up and down the court with the best of them. Given his overall basketball IQ, he should furthermore find ways to thrive away from the ball by utilizing the gravity that both Doncic + Reaves command.

Long story short, something in the vicinity of 20-6-7 seems appropriate for James. At this point, Doncic seems due for somewhere around 32-9-8 while Reaves seems fated for something in the range of 25-5-6. IF these guys perform up to par and the rest of the guys (notably Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart and Jake Laravia) continue to fill in the cracks correctly, the Lakers should have no problem advancing to the WCF to inevitably clash with modern juggernaut OKC. From that point, the team would actually go as far as LeBron carried them. Unlike Doncic, James has experience dethroning a dynasty. Wouldn’t it be fitting for LeBron to show Luka the way of taking down giants as one final phase in the passing of the torch?

IF all cylinders click correctly, this trio could legitimately go down as the greatest Big Three of all time. There are a lot of IFs which factor into that hypothesis, but it is safe to say there has never been a 3-headed machine composed quite like that of the Lakers’.

Doncic already might be the best point guard the game has seen AND his 6’8” x 230 pound frame gives JJ Redick flexibility when constructing rotations around him. Opposing defenses should probably just accept the fact that Doncic is dropping at least 30 and dishing out seemingly impossible dimes on them leading up to each matchup. His dominance is a given at this point in his career, and he is only 26. His brand of basketball is a beautiful thing to behold, and we thank you Nico Harrison for your former services.

Reaves is a 6’5” x 197 pound combo guard who mixes His saucy shake on the handles with a TUFF, rugged confidence that embodies itself in his physical style of attack (4th in NBA at 9.1 FTA/game). His play/shotmaking pizzazz is reminiscent of a young Kyrie, but what separates AR from Irving is the former’s prowess for punishing those that stand between Him and the cup. He has quickly entered SGA territory with his knack for drawing contact. He not only seems to enjoy finishing through contact, it is almost as though he prefers. There is not a rim protector in the league that will intimidate Reaves from attacking the rim, because He has supreme confidence in His ability to contort His way through physicality.

With LeBron turning 41 at the end of this month, it should be unfathomable for him even still being a starting-caliber player. Fortunately, James and his extraterrestrial ways are fresh off an All-NBA 2nd Team acknowledgement last year. His style of play is almost a replica of Doncic’s in terms of utilizing his size x IQ to manipulate defenders while making plays for himself + his teammates. The difference with LeBron is that he is a 6’9” x 250 pound freight train stronger than pretty much every other player in the league, so once he gets going downhill you are cooked. James is the top scorer in NBA history, but doe The game has seen some unstoppable forces, but never a force as unstoppable as LeBron’s.

Time will tell if the King and his pair of heirs will continue to showcase compatibility throughout the course of this season. But if they do (as we expect), this could in fact be the top trio the league has seen to date.

CURRENT TOP 10 BIG 3’S IN NBA HISTORY

10a: Brooklyn Nets = Kevin Durant x James Harden x Kyrie Irving

10b: Oklahoma City Thunder = Kevin Durant x Russell Westbrook x James Harden

9: Boston Celtics = Larry Bird x Kevin McHale x Robert Parrish

8: Cleveland Cavaliers = LeBron James x Kyrie Irving x Kevin Love

7: Los Angeles Lakers = Magic Johnson x Kareem Abdul-Jabbar x James Worthy

6: Chicago Bulls = Michael Jordan x Scottie Pippen x Dennis Rodman

5: San Antonio Spurs = Tim Duncan x Tony Parker x Manu Ginobli

4: Boston Celtics = Paul Pierce x Kevin Garnett x Ray Allen

3: Miami Heat = LeBron James x Dwayne Wade x Chris Bosh

2: Los Angeles Lakers = Luka Doncic x Austin Reaves x LeBron James

1: Golden State Warriors = Kevin Durant x Stephen Curry x Klay Thompson