The Los Angeles Lakers have upgraded guard Austin Reaves (left calf strain) to available for the team’s game on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
Reaves has been out since Christmas Day, missing the last 19 games as he has recovered from this injury. He has been dealing with the calf issue since the middle of December, initially missing three games before attempting to return. That return didn’t last long, however, with Reaves being shut down in just his second game back and he has yet to suit up since.
Calf injuries are extremely concerning and have led to other, more significant injuries, particularly torn Achilles’, which was the case for Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton in the NBA Finals last season. It also happened with Kevin Durant during the 2019 NBA Finals, so the Lakers being extra cautious with Reaves makes complete sense as the last thing the franchise or the guard wants is a catastrophic injury.
Reaves’ return comes on the final game of the Lakers’ eight-game Grammy road trip and the team has the chance to come out with a winning record. They have gone 4-3 on this trip so far and to be able to finish it off with a strong win against a Nets team that has been one of the worst in the league so far would go a long way towards hopefully building some momentum.
For Reaves, this is a chance to begin working his way back to the All-Star form he was playing at before the calf injury derailed things. He is averaging career-highs across the board at 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists while also shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range.
This will also allow for Reaves, Luka Doncic and LeBron James to begin building chemistry with each other as the trio has played just eight games together this season. Head coach JJ Redick will also be able to figure out his ideal rotations and lineups with a healthy team and come up with the best way to get the most out of this roster.
Reaves will likely be on a minutes restriction, however, as the Lakers will continue to be cautious with him and slowly work him back up to full strength.
Tyrese Haliburton wants to learn how to draw fouls from Lakers’ Austin Reaves
One area where Austin Reaves shines is in his ability to draw fouls as he averages nearly nine free throw attempts per game this season. And Tyrese Haliburton has been watching him and learning from his ability to draw fouls as he rehabs from his torn Achilles.
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