The Los Angeles Lakers will move forward with a major concern regarding Austin Reaves.
The star guard is dealing with a calf injury, which is going to keep him off the court for at least one month. The setback occurred on Thursday night, as the Lakers battled against the Houston Rockets on the anticipated Christmas Day slate.
Following the action, Lakers star Luka Doncic spoke to the media and addressed Reaves’ in-game setback. While he wasn’t aware of the official diagnosis and timeline at the time, Doncic had a clear message for Reaves.
“I talked to him. He just said he didn’t know. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow,” Doncic told reporters. “I just said, ‘If you need something to help, I know what it is to go through calf injury.’ It’s not fun at all. Just be there to support him. Calf (injuries) are dangerous, so just take your time.”
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Lakers labeled Reaves’ setback as a grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain. The team plans to evaluate him in four weeks. While that’s the initial timeline, there’s no guarantee that Reaves will be back on the floor for the Lakers before February.
The timing couldn’t be worse for Reaves and the Lakers. Not only has Reaves been off to an All-Star-caliber start to the season, but the Lakers have been struggling as of late. After Thursday’s blowout loss against the Rockets, the Lakers dropped their third game in a row.
Fortunately, LA remains fourth in the Western Conference with a 19-10 record. However, it’s clear that their status as championship contenders is slipping as the team continues to show clear signs of struggling in the same areas, leading to public frustration from the coaching staff down to the players on the roster.
In 23 games this season, Reaves has been averaging 26.6 points, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arc. Along with his scoring, Reaves has come down with 5.2 rebounds, and produced 6.3 assists per game.
The Lakers will be back on the court on Sunday night to take on the Sacramento Kings. Facing one of the West’s worst this season, it will be a good opportunity for the Lakers to try and get back on track.