This is the opposite of ideal for the Los Angeles Lakers.
After exiting L.A.’s Christmas Day matchup with the Houston Rockets early due to a sore left calf, Austin Reaves is expected to miss at least four weeks of action due to a calf strain.
Austin Reaves expected to miss a month with calf strain
Reaves had just recently returned for the Lakers after missing three games due to a left calf strain. The game against Houston was just his second game back. Perhaps he came back a little too early.
The projected timeline will keep Reaves sidelined until late January or early February, which isn’t ideal for a Lakers team vying for playoff positioning in the Western Conference. Following their loss to Houston on Christmas, the Lakers sit fourth in the West at 19-10.
The loss to Houston was the third straight for the Lakers, and head coach J.J. Redick ripped into his team after the game.
"We don't care enough right now," Redick said. "And that's the part that bothers you a lot. We don't care enough to do the things that are necessary. We don't care enough to be a professional.
"The two words of the day were effort and execution," he added. "And I feel like when we've done both of those things at a high level, we've been a good basketball team. When we haven't, we're a terrible basketball team. And tonight we were a terrible basketball team. And that started legitimately right away."
The Lakers have time to right the ship, but Reaves' extended absence will make doing so more difficult. On the season, Reaves is averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds per performance.