The Los Angeles Lakers released their injury report for Friday’s game against the Washington Wizards and Austin Reaves (left calf strain) has been upgraded to questionable, while Luka Doncic (left ankle soreness) is also questionable.
Doncic hurt his ankle in the loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers but was able to finish out the game, albeit in some clear pain.
Reaves has been out since Christmas Day with the calf injury, and it’s the second he has dealt with this season alone so the organization has been extremely cautious with his return. There was some hope that he would have been able to suit up in Wednesday night’s game against the Cavaliers, but he wound up being ruled out of that one.
Now, the Lakers have three games left on their road trip, starting with Friday night in Washington. While it would be great to get Reaves back for that one, it’s probably a game the Lakers can win without him if they want to give the guard a couple of extra days before Sunday’s big matchup with the New York Knicks.
In recent weeks, Reaves’ rehab has steadily progress and all indications have been that he is doing well and has had no setbacks. That is great to hear, but it also makes sense to continue remaining cautious with the greater picture in mind.
In Reaves’ absence, others like Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia have stepped up while Doncic and LeBron James have led the way. It will take some time to get Reaves re-integrated in that once he returns, but the Lakers were playing their best basketball earlier in the season when he was healthy and playing at an All-Star level, so that shouldn’t be an issue.
Rui Hachimura excited for Austin Reaves to return
Rui Hachimura returned from his own calf injury earlier this month and has been serving as an offensive weapon off the bench. The Lakers sorely missed Hachimura’s shotmaking ability, but the forward also expressed how excited he is to have Reaves returning to the lineup.
With Reaves eventually back, Hachimura should be able to capitalize on even more wide-open looks because of how much attention the Lakers’ three stars demand.
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