Austin Reaves will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks with gastrocnemius
Following Los Angeles Lakers‘ disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day, the team suffered another blow as it was announced that Austin Reaves he would be on the sidelines at least for the next four weeks after the calf injury.
Austin Reaves recently returned to the Lakers lineup after suffering an injury calf injury, but was out of the Christmas game early and he didn’t come back. The Lakers are currently mired in a three-game skid and look to get back on track against the Sacramento Kings this weekend. Losing Reaves for an extended period of time is a big blow because the team didn’t have enough consistent depth to sustain the loss of a key player.
The Rockets game was Reaves’ second game since initially suffering the injury following the Lakers’ NBA Cup quarterfinal loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 10. He had a strong start, scoring nine points in the first quarter while shooting 4-of-5 from the field. But after halftime, Reaves was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Reaves’ continued development has been one of the biggest success stories of the last few seasons in the NBA. He went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft and initially signed a two-way contract with the Lakers. this season, Reaves was a legitimate All-Star candidate in the middle of a career year. Whether his absence will affect his All-Star chances remains to be seen.
This season, Reaves has appeared in 23 games with just over 35 minutes per game. He averaged 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.0 steals on 50.7 percent shooting from the field, 36.5 percent from the 3-point line and 87.3 percent from the free throw line.
Without Reaves, the Lakers will have to find ways to score for an offense that has suddenly gone cold. In two of the last three games, the Lakers have scored less than 100 points.
2025-12-27 01:55:00
