Austin Reaves left the Los Angeles Lakers’ Christmas Day loss against the Houston Rockets early after injuring his calf, the same calf that held him out of three games last week.
After Reaves underwent an MRI, it was determined that he will miss at least a month of action with a grade 2 strain.
Doncic missed 22 consecutive games over a month and a half last season due to a calf injury, and reports have stated that his unwillingness to return quickly from the injury is part of what led to Dallas’ decision to trade the superstar to L.A. But calf injuries are known to be among the trickiest to manage in the NBA, as returning too early can lead to devastating results, namely an Achilles tear.
So as Reaves and the Lakers figure out what the plan of action is moving forward with his calf injury, the star has the full support of Doncic and someone who knows exactly what he’s going through.
“Yeah, I talked to him. He just said he didn’t know (the severity), he’ll have an MRI I think tomorrow. So just told him if he needs something to help with, I know how it is to go through a calf injury. It’s not fun at all. Just be there to support him. Take your time, calves are dangerous. So take your time,” Doncic said.
The Lakers cannot afford to lose Reaves to a major injury, as he is expected to be a huge part of the team’s future. He also, for his own sake, cannot afford to suffer a severe injury. He is widely expected to decline his player option for next season and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026. His future earnings could be severely impacted by an Achilles injury.
Hopefully, the Lakers approach this situation with extreme caution, giving him time to rest and recover before putting him back out into NBA action. Certainly, Doncic would be supportive of that decision.
Luka Doncic implores changes needing to be made
To add insult to injury, the Lakers were blown out by the Rockets on Christmas Day after losing Reaves. And while having Reaves likely wouldn’t have changed the outcome, the loss spoke to an overall issue plaguing the Lakers. Doncic, recognizing that, admitted that changes need to be made in some way.
“I don’t know what has to change, but, definitely something needs to change,” Luka said. “I think we’ve blown out the last two leads. [It] definitely looks terrible, but we have to figure out. We have to talk about it. Everybody has to talk about it. I know JJ [Redick] says it’s going to be uncomfortable, as it should be.”
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