Undrafted Austin Reaves is taking the NBA by storm in place of LeBron James and Luka Doncic

On a team with superstars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, it's former Oklahoma Sooner and undrafted prospect Austin Reaves stealing the spotlight in L.A.

Reaves has taken control of the Los Angeles Lakers while James and Doncic are hurt, and the craze over the rising star reached a new height throughout the NBA after his game-winning shot on Wednesday night in the Lakers' 116-115 road win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Former Sooner Austin Reaves makes game-winner for Los Angeles Lakers

Down one point with just over six seconds left, Reaves got the inbound pass and just did everything himself from there. He drove into the paint before pulling up and draining a floater just as the buzzer sounded. It was the first buzzer-beating game-winner of the 2025-26 NBA season so far.

Reaves led the Lakers from start to finish with a team-high 28 points, along with a monstrous 16 assists and a rebound. Through five games of this young season, Reaves is second in the NBA in total points with 171, which, after Wednesday's games, was just three points behind reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reaves is also fourth in the league in points per game at 34.2. He leads the entire NBA with 50 total assists.

In his fifth season since going undrafted out of OU in 2021, Reaves has had to step up to keep the Lakers afloat with James and Doncic both injured. He hasn't just filled in, though, Reaves has taken over and could be an All-Star by midseason. In the first game without Doncic, Reaves dropped a career-high 51 points, then followed that with a 41-point performance before Wednesday night's spectacle.

Watching from back home, James and Doncic both went to social media to celebrate Reaves' game-winner, and so did the rest of the NBA world, including Lakers legends Magic Johnson and Pau Gasol, as Reaves is becoming an overnight sensation.

The Lakers will play at the Memphis Grizzlies at 8:30 p.m. CT Friday to tip off NBA Cup play. Reaves will be back in Oklahoma on Wednesday to play the Thunder.