Austin Reaves played only 15 minutes on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets. The LA Lakers kept him out of the second half after the emerging star reportedly dealt with left calf soreness. Reaves previously sat out for three games due to the same issue before returning to play on Tuesday in Phoenix.
On Friday, NBA insider Shams Charania tweeted the latest on Reaves:
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“Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain and will be reevaluated in four weeks.”
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Reaves’ injury could not have come at a worse time for the Lakers. Luka Doncic is also dealing with a lower leg contusion, an issue that forced him to miss one game. Doncic showed a visible limp in the fourth quarter against the Rockets, a situation that prompted worried reactions from Laker Nation.
Austin Reaves has been easily one of the Lakers’ best players this season. The former undrafted guard is averaging career-high in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2). Despite launching a career-best 16.2 attempts per game, he is making 50.7% of his shots, the most efficient in his career.
The 6-foot-5 combo guard showed early in the season that he can be a viable No. 1 option without LeBron James and Luka Doncic. He averaged 32.0 ppg, 9.0 apg, 5.3 apg and 1.7 spg in October.
The Lakers will miss his playmaking, clutch shooting and savvy in the next four weeks.
Calf issue slowed down Austin Reaves before scheduled four-week absence
Austin Reaves’ calf issue started after the first week of December during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. He played 39 minutes in that showdown but contributed just 11 points on 3-for-16 shooting.
Three nights later, he tallied 15 points against the San Antonio Spurs. The normally efficient AR made 6 of 16 attempts. Reaves’ struggles due to left calf soreness forced the Lakers to sideline him in their next three games.
Austin Reaves got the green light to return on Tuesday against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers kept him on the bench to open the game and limited him to 22 minutes. He finished with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists.
AR returned to the starting lineup when the Lakers hosted the Houston Rockets on Thursday. He only played in the first half due to the same nagging issue.
Edited by Michael Macasero
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