Though the Los Angeles Lakers made a number of key changes in the offseason, two of its top players are back.

Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves return for their second full season together, armed with a supporting cast that better suits their strengths and is designed to cover their weaknesses.

While Reaves leaving Los Angeles never truly appeared to be that close, he was set to become an unrestricted free agent after declining his player option, and had interest from other teams.

The Lakers moved quickly to sign him to a four-year, $184 million deal. Doncic still has three years left on his deal, keeping the duo in purple and gold for the foreseeable future.

On paper, Doncic and Reaves have the makings to be the best backcourt in the NBA, but is that the reality?

Last season, Doncic and Reaves shared the court for 985 minutes, not including garbage time. They had a net rating of +11.6. Compare that to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, one of the best duos in the league, who had a +12.4 net rating in 1609 minutes, and you see just how good Doncic and Reaves were together.

Offensively, they destroyed defenses with their creation, and held up enough defensively to not be embarrassed.

Doncic and Reaves are two of the best at creating shots for themselves and for others, with Doncic terrorizing opposing players in one-on-one situations and pick-and-roll sets while Reaves navigates his way to the basket and into good shots.

To consider them the best, you have to look at their competition.

Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball of the Minnesota Timberwolves have all the makings of being a top backcourt, but they have yet to play a minute together. For now, Doncic and Reaves have the edge just based on chemistry.

James Harden and Donovan Mitchell have an argument, but the numbers don’t support them as much. They were just +4 in 422 minutes together once Harden was acquired at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Lakers.

De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle are an underrated duo who have a +8 net rating, but that was propped up by Victor Wembanyama. That trio was +12.3. When Wemby was off the court, Fox and Castle were -0.3.

If you think LeBron propped up Reaves and Doncic, you’d be wrong, as they were actually a +14.9 when LeBron was off the court.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cason Wallace, the new Thunder starting backcourt, might have the strongest argument, as Shai is arguably the best player in the league while Wallace is a two-way force who is expected to make an offensive leap as a starter. They were +17.2 last season and +9.1 without Chet Holmgren on the floor.

But that duo is unproven as the starting combo, and Shai does much of the heavy lifting on offense.

As of now, Doncic and Reaves are the best backcourt in the league, and the argument for other duos doesn’t hold weight.