NEW YORK — Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves is set to return Tuesday night against the Brooklyn Nets after missing five weeks with a strained left calf, head coach JJ Redick said.
Redick confirmed that the 27-year-old will come off the bench under a minutes restriction. “I think we’ve missed him in every facet,” the coach noted, citing Reaves’ ballhandling, off-ball movement, leadership and defensive intensity. “He’s an All-Star-level player, and of course you’re going to miss him in a number of ways.”
Reaves injured the calf on Dec. 10 during a 132-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, then aggravated it two weeks later in a 119-96 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. Before the setback, he was averaging career highs of 26.6 points on 50.7% shooting, along with 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game.
Los Angeles posted a 10-9 record during his absence.
Source: ESPN
