The Los Angeles Lakers have played well this season despite the several injuries they've had to deal with early. Of course, LeBron James has been sidelined and has yet to play this season, but even Luka Doncic has missed some time. Austin Reaves is the latest key player for the Lakers who is dealing with an injury and hasn't played in the past three games.
The Lakers are calling it a minor groin strain for Reaves, and head coach JJ Redick shared an update on when he may return.
“Given the fact that his pain is low, I would expect him to be back at some point on this trip,” Redick said via Lakers reporter Mike Trudell.
Before Reaves was injured, he was on a week-long run scoring at a high level and keeping the Lakers afloat while Doncic was sidelined. It even included a game-winner against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he finished with 28 points and 16 assists. He and Doncic are two of the reasons why the Lakers have been very successful early this season, and the hope is that it continues when James returns.
With no Reaves in their last game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers were not able to win, and it may have been one of their worst losses of the season. Redick would probably think so as well, and after the game, he didn't hide the fact that he wasn't satisfied with the way that they played.
“They brought the requisite level of effort and urgency and physicality,” Redick said after the game.
The Lakers have four more games on this road trip, and they're up against some tough opponents, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks. Redick had hope that Reaves would come back sometime during this trip, which is good news for a team missing some key players.
