Former Laker Nick Young ranks Austin Reaves over Kyrie Irving as a better second option amid recent success

Austin Reaves has taken a massive leap this season. The undrafted guard out of Oklahoma is in his fourth year in the NBA, averaging a career-high in points and assists while assuming more offensive responsibilities on a nightly basis. A former LA Laker, Nick Young, recently said Reaves could be better than Kyrie Irving as a second option.

In a clip from "Gil's Arena" uploaded to X on Wednesday, Young divided the panel when he posed the question. Young, also known as "Swaggy P," made the suggestion because of the Lakers' success since their blockbuster trade for Luka Doncic and the numbers that Reaves has been putting up.

"At this stage... Not overall, don't think about Kyrie back in the day, think of Kyrie right now," Young said.

Gilbert Arenas had a visceral reaction to the idea that Reaves could be better than Irving, a far more established player. The 32-year-old is in his 14th season and is an NBA champion. Additionally, Irving was averaging 24.7 points and 4.6 assists on over 40% from the 3-point line before suffering a season-ending ACL tear.

Josiah Johnson, the host and a producer of "Gil's Arena," defended Young's take by highlighting some of Reaves' recent numbers. Johnson noted that in the eight games he's played without LeBron James this season, Reaves averaged 28.6 points, 8.4 assists and 6.8 rebounds. He also had a 45-point performance on Feb. 8.

The argument quickly pulled Arenas back to Young's side.

"Remember when LeBron was out he had 40. Think about all the buckets he gets,” Young added.

Young pointed out Reaves' ability to scale up his game while not playing alongside James. When given the keys to the offense, Reaves can average All-Star-caliber numbers, much like Irving. This is while slotting into a smaller role as the second or third option when James and Doncic are in the lineup.

Luka Doncic raves about Lakers teammate Austin Reaves

The LA Lakers need someone to step up in the absence of LeBron James, and Austin Reaves has delivered. Over the last four games, he's averaging 30.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 7.0 assists. His performances have helped the Lakers from free-falling down the standings in a tightly contested Western Conference.

Reaves' play over this stretch has earned the praise of one of the Lakers' newest additions. In a postgame interview after LA's win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, Luka Doncic celebrated his teammate and the improbable journey to where he is now.

"He's an amazing player," Doncic said. "For him to go undrafted is unbelievable. It's not easy to go undrafted and then play at this level. It's amazing just to be by his side."

The Slovenian superstar joined the Lakers in early February as part of arguably one of the biggest trades in NBA history. Since joining, Doncic has spoken about being surprised by how good Austin Reaves is.