Austin Reaves Will Miss the Remainder of the Regular Season Due to Oblique Strain
DALLAS — The Los Angeles Lakers are set to play the remainder of the regular season without their starting backcourt, as Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain. The injury was confirmed following an MRI examination on Saturday.
Lakers coach JJ Redick reported that the team learned earlier in the week that Luka Doncic is also sidelined due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, which will keep him out for the rest of the regular season and potentially longer.
Additionally, guard Marcus Smart has been absent for the last six games due to a right ankle contusion and is considered questionable for the upcoming match.
“It’s lingering soreness in the ankle,” Redick noted.
Despite these setbacks, Redick emphasized that the Lakers’ objectives remain unchanged. "We want to get the third seed and we want to win a first-round series," he stated.
Currently sitting third in the Western Conference, the Lakers face competition from Denver, Houston, and Minnesota, all of whom are within striking distance. The Lakers hold the tiebreaker advantage over these teams. They aim to maintain their position in the final five games of the season without Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer with an average of 33.5 points per game, who is also fourth in assists at 8.3.
“I know Luka’s gonna do everything he can to get back on the court,” Redick said. “We don’t know what this recovery timetable looks like.”
With the absence of Doncic, LeBron James is expected to take on a more prominent role. Although he has primarily played as the third option behind Doncic and Reaves, James has still managed to average 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 6.0 rebounds in his 23rd season.
“It probably is going to look a little bit differently with Luka being out,” James acknowledged after practice. “I’ll figure that out and then, obviously, the coaches will figure it out as well.”
The Lakers are adapting to the reality of playing without Doncic. Their upcoming schedule includes formidable opponents such as Oklahoma City, Golden State, and Phoenix, capped off with a game against a struggling Utah team.
“It’s a challenge for us,” James said. “It’s always got to be a next-man-up mentality. But there’s no way you can replace that type of impact. So, it’s going to be a collective group. We all have to figure out a way to do a little bit more. When you lose a special player like that, you can’t have as many mistakes.”
In addressing team morale after the news of Doncic’s injury, Redick conducted a practice on the Southern Methodist campus, focusing on offensive strategies to prepare for the upcoming games.
“I think making sure that everybody’s in the right frame of mind, first of all, and then we worked on just offensive stuff, just cleaning up some stuff and being really explicit with what we want to run,” Redick explained. “It was definitely more of an offensive day.”
Meanwhile, controversy emerged when James suggested during a YouTube interview that Memphis should consider relocating to Nashville. He elaborated, mentioning Milwaukee as another city he does not enjoy playing in.
“People need to chill the hell out,” he advised. “I’m not talking about the city, like the people in Memphis. I don’t like staying at the Hyatt Centric [hotel]. What’s wrong with that?”
As the Lakers navigate these injuries and challenges, their focus remains on solidifying their playoff positioning in the upcoming weeks.
