LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Lakers resume the regular season this Friday against the LA Clippers, they’ll have good news on the injury front. Austin Reaves, who made his return this month from a calf injury, is no longer on a minutes restriction, Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentioned during team practice on Thursday. Reaves’ return to the lineup has been a major boost for the Lakers, and not only for his on-court play, but his leadership as well.
Going back to last season, Redick has challenged Austin Reaves to take on more of a leadership role with the Lakers. Following Thursday’s practice, Reaves spoke about that ongoing development, and what’s made being a leader so interesting.
“He [JJ] challenged me on that before last year and before this year, we had a couple of meetings in the summer and he challenged me to be better that aspect,” Reaves said. “I think it’s just an opportunity to really connect with everybody on the team. And not just learn about their basketball game, but them as people.”
“We got a great group. All the guys enjoy being around one another. We got some interesting people, Luka [Doncic] being one of those,” Reaves joked. “But it’s just fun to get to know these guys and create real relationships. So when it comes to the court, they really trust what I do and what we do as a team.”
Reaves returned to the Lakers’ lineup at the very end of their Grammy road trip during their win against the Brooklyn Nets back on Feb. 2. After a so-so game by his standards, he looked like the player who was in All-Star contention earlier this season when he exploded for 35 points in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers.
He had been on a minutes restriction since his return, coming off the bench in the meantime. But with the restriction now lifted after the All-Star break, it’s likely he returns to the starting lineup against the Clippers.
Reaves has appeared in a total of 28 games so far this season, at a little over 33 minutes per game. He’s averaging a career-high 25.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 50.8 percent shooting from the field, 36.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 86.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
In his most recent game, a win against the Dallas Mavericks right before the break, he finished with 18 points, four rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes.
