Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves will return from a 19-game absence on Tuesday vs. the Brooklyn Nets. Reaves has been sidelined since Christmas due to a calf strain. JJ Redick said the star guard will come off the bench with a minutes restriction during his first game back.
Reaves was playing at an All-Star level before his injury. The 27-year-old averaged 26.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.3 assists on .507/.365/.873 shooting splits across 23 appearances to start the season.
Los Angeles posted a 19-10 record during that span.
Austin Reaves returning from multi-month absence vs. Nets
The Lakers have struggled to find their rhythm with Reaves sidelined, posting a 10-9 record over their last 19 games. They rank 11th in offense, 21st in defense and 17th in net rating (-0.3) during that span.
“We’ve had two games all season with our full health,” Redick said pregame. “So hopefully, with Austin coming back, we can just have a healthy stretch here and figure out what lineups work best… We’ve missed [Austin] in every facet. Both as an on-ball player, off-ball player, a connector, leadership on the court, competitive spirit, competitive spirit defensively. He’s an All-Star level player, and of course, you’re going to miss him in a number of ways.”
The 10-9 stretch has dropped Los Angeles to sixth place in the Western Conference. They are tied with the Phoenix Suns but hold the sixth seed by virtue of a tiebreaker. Redick's squad is a half-game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for fifth.
Reaves will attempt to help the Lakers secure a win in Brooklyn as they close out an eight-game road trip.
