The Los Angeles Lakers hit a wall to near midway through the 2025-26 season after Austin Reaves was diagnosed with a left calf strain.
Reaves re-aggravated his calf after previously missing a few games for it and was given about six weeks to recover before he would be reevaluated. Calf strains have been treated with more seriousness by the league in recent seasons because of some of the catastrophic injuries that have occurred, so the Lakers are smart for slow playing Reaves’ return to the court.
He is enjoying a career year for Los Angeles as his production is up across the board. Even on a team featuring Luka Doncic and LeBron James, Reaves is arguably just as important as the two stars because of his ability to score the basketball and make plays.
Fortunately, head coach JJ Redick said Reaves has been doing well with his rehab and is expected to play at some point during the team’s current eight-game road trip, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“He’s progressing well; he’ll play at some point on this trip,” Redick said before Tuesday’s game against the Utah Jazz.
From Redick’s update, it sounds like Reaves hit no snags in the recovery process and will meet his initial timeline to return to play. Suffice to say that Los Angeles sorely misses him in the lineup because they don’t have other players besides Doncic and James who can score efficiently at all three levels while sustaining high-level playmaking ability as well.
Even when Reaves was forced to watch Los Angeles play from the sidelines, he remained engaged with his teammates, which drew praise from Redick. It’s clear that Reaves is a true competitor that just wants to win basketball games, so there’s no doubt that he’ll be itching to go once cleared.
The road trip will be tough from a physical and mental perspective, but Reaves’ pending return could be the shot in the arm the Lakers need before the All-Star break.
Jazz among potential Austin Reaves free agency suitors
Reaves’ absence showed the Lakers how much he is missed on the roster, adding even more motivating from his side to look for the biggest deal possible in free agency. There are several teams expected to chase after Reaves, including the Utah Jazz.
The guard has made it clear that he wants to remain with the Lakers long-term, although things can always change if a team like the Jazz offers him a max contract.
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