Austin Reaves Expected to Play Tonight Against the Nets
Austin Reaves Set to Return for Lakers Against Nets
NEW YORK — After missing 19 games due to a left calf strain, Austin Reaves is making his return to the Los Angeles Lakers. He is expected to play on Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets, as announced by Lakers coach JJ Redick.
Reaves will enter the game from the bench and will be subject to minutes restrictions as he continues to recover. “Yeah, he’ll be in,” Redick confirmed. “He’ll have a minutes restriction, but he’ll be in.”
The dynamic guard has been sidelined since injuring his calf on Christmas Day during a matchup against the Houston Rockets. Before his injury, Reaves was enjoying a standout season, averaging career highs of 26.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds across 23 games. He boasts an impressive shooting percentage of 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from the three-point line.
Redick expressed the team’s need for Reaves, emphasizing his contributions to both offense and defense. “I think we’ve missed him in every facet,” Redick said. “Both as an on-ball player, off-ball player, a connector, leadership on the court, competitive spirit — competitive spirit defensively. So, he’s an All-Star level player and, of course, you’re going to miss him in a number of ways.”
The Lakers’ current starting lineup includes Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart alongside Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton. When asked about the team’s performance, Redick pointed out the struggles, stating, “Yeah, I mean, that group has not performed well from a net rating, an offensive/defensive rating. So, we’ve got to figure all this out. And we’ve had two games all season with our full health.”
With Reaves returning, Redick hopes for a healthier stretch to evaluate effective lineups. “Hopefully, with Austin coming back, we can just have a healthy stretch here and figure out what lineups work best,” he added.
