The Los Angeles Lakers announced that guard Austin Reaves is dealing with a mild left calf strain and will be re-evaluated in approximately one week.
While injuries are never ideal, the Lakers have a light schedule coming up as they play against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday and then don’t play again until Thursday. If Reaves is ready to return in a week then it’s possible he only misses two games, although considering it is a calf strain they will likely proceed with caution to avoid it becoming a long-term issue.
Reaves got off to an exceptional start to the season for the Lakers, carrying a heavy workload in the absence of other injured players. That may have caught up with him this past week as Reaves struggled offensively in the Lakers’ last two games, averaging 13 points while shooting just 28.1% from the field.
The 27-year-old had been hobbling a bit in the Lakers’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, but it’s unclear exactly how long he had been dealing with this calf injury.
Overall in 21 games to start this season, Reaves is having a career year averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 50.3% from the field and 36.9% from 3-point range.
With Luka Doncic and LeBron James healthy, the Lakers should have enough ball-handling in Reaves’ absence. The hope is that he returns soon though as Reaves has been one of the most impactful players in the NBA so far this season and is a big reason why L.A. is 17-7.
Austin Reaves: Lakers have a lot of room for growth defensively
Austin Reaves’ recent struggles have also coincided with the Lakers struggling, although he believes it has more to do with the defensive end of the court and the growth that is needed there.
“I think there’s a lot of room for growth,” Reaves said after the recent loss to the Spurs. “We’re 27th in opposing 3-point percentage. That’s a weakness we got to be better at. And the spirit’s still high in here. We know we can do it. But we have to be a group that guards with five people. And once again, like Bron said, we got to be on a string and know rotations and just play hard on that end.”
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