One of the best and most endearing storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers in the early part of the season was the budding bro-mance between backcourt partners Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Aside from having excellent chemistry on the court, the two were constantly trash-talking each other off of it as well, leading to some legitimately funny moments.
Unfortunately, that has been pushed to the side over the past few weeks as Reaves has been out due to injury. The concerns of that calf injury are forcing him and the Lakers to be extremely cautious in his return, as they want to ensure he is completely healthy before getting back on the court.
The good news is that it looks as if that time is coming soon. Reaves is expected to return for the Lakers during their current eight-game road trip, and when asked about his potential return, Luka admitted that he was excited to get Reaves back, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Yea of course, of course I do. On court he’s an amazing player, he helps us in so many ways. Playing with him it’s fun, it’s very fun. And off the court he made the trip. He’s finally on the trip so we’ll have some good times.”
Luka would continue, feeling that getting Reaves back will be great for the Lakers as a whole, but still cautioning that they want to make sure he is fully healthy before returning:
“It’s gonna be good for us, especially we have an eight-game road trip. I’ve never been a part of something like that so it’s something new for me. Eight games away, it’s gonna be huge if we can get him back. But obviously he’s gotta be fully healthy, especially with the calf, it’s not an easy injury. We just want him to be healthy and when he’s ready to go back, come back.”
When Reaves and Luka have been on the court together, it has been electric with the Lakers duo forming the highest-scoring backcourt in the NBA. Health is most important, but assuming Reaves is finally back to 100%, it will be great for him, Luka and the rest of the Lakers to have him back on the court. And maybe finally, he can get Luka to admit that they are friends.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic grateful to be leading vote-getter for 2026 NBA All-Star Game
While Austin Reaves has been out, Luka Doncic has continued to dominate on the court every night, and his performance and popularity led to him being the leading vote-getter for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, something he is very grateful for and appreciative of.
