Austin Reaves, who was diagnosed with a grade 2 left calf strain, will be reevaluated in four weeks, the Los Angeles Lakers stated on Friday. The great guard may not return until after the All-great break, according to injury expert Jeff Stotts, who anticipates that he will miss at least 40 days of action.
In 15 minutes during the first half against Houston, Reaves scored 12 points on 5-for-8 (62.5%) shooting. In his place, Marcus Smart began the third quarter. Between now and January 26, when Reaves is anticipated to be reevaluated, the Lakers will play 15 games, including games against postseason contenders like the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Denver Nuggets.
Austin Reaves set to miss extended time as Los Angeles Lakers brace for key stretch without him
The Los Angeles Lakers announced on Friday that guard Austin Reaves will miss at least four weeks due to a Grade 2 left gastrocnemius strain. Reaves returned to duty on December 23 after suffering a minor strain to his left calf on December 8.
He had to depart the Christmas Day game against the Houston Rockets at halftime of the 119-96 defeat due to calf soreness. Luka Doncic, a teammate, is all too familiar with calf injuries.
He wrote, projecting when Austin Reaves might return:
“Austin Reaves Injury News: The calf muscle complex is composed of multiple muscles, including the two-headed gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus. The muscles share a conjoined tendon, the Achilles. The average time lost for all Grade 2 calf strains in the NBA is ~40.1 days.”
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According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Doncic remembers telling Reaves:
“Just hoping. I just say, ‘If you need something to help with, I know how it is to go to a calf injury.’ It’s not fun at all… Just be there to support him. Take your time. Calves are dangerous.”
A number of NBA players' injury timelines have previously been correctly anticipated by Stotts, an athletic trainer. He most recently predicted that Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs will miss at least 30 days due to a calf issue, a prediction that turned out to be accurate.
Reaves' summer free agency may also be impacted by the injury absence. Reaves was anticipated to want a five-year maximum contract for $241 million from the Lakers or a four-year, $178 million deal from another team in the open market after declining a four-year, $89 million extension with the Lakers during the previous offseason.
The 27-year-old hinted that he would be prepared to accept a price reduction in order to remain with the Lakers, the team that took a chance on him in 2021 after he went undrafted, when he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin last month that he isn't eyeing "a gigantic number that don't make sense."
Austin Reaves’ injury could sideline him through All-Star break and key Lakers matchups
Reaves might miss the next 20 Lakers games, including nationally televised games against the San Antonio Spurs on January 7, the Denver Nuggets on January 20, the Dallas Mavericks on January 24, the New York Knicks on February 1, and the Golden State Warriors on February 7, if he is indeed ruled out until mid-February.
This year's All-Star celebrations are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from February 13–15. The NBA's All-Star Break will stretch from February 13–20.
Reaves had a solid case for Most Improved Player and was thought to be a lock to join the All-Star Team. The undrafted guard is now a legitimate top-20 or top-25 player in the league after improving his points (20.2 to 26.6), assists (5.8 to 6.3), rebounds (3.7 to 4.5), and FG% (46.0 to 50.7) from the previous campaign.
Because he led the Lakers to several victories earlier in the season while LeBron James was out due to injury, Reaves is actually placed seventh in the live Basketball Reference MVP Tracker.
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