Austin Reaves Sidelined 4–6 Weeks With Left Oblique Strain
austin-reaves-sidelined-4-6-weeks-with-left-oblique-strain
The Los Angeles Lakers confirmed Saturday that guard Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the regular season after scans revealed a Grade 2 strain of his left oblique muscle. Multiple sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the projected recovery timeline is four to six weeks, placing a potential return in the second or third round of the playoffs.
Reaves exited Thursday’s blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first half after reaching for a rebound and feeling discomfort along his left side. He briefly returned, finishing with 15 points in 27 minutes, but was removed for further evaluation. An MRI performed in Dallas on Saturday confirmed the injury.
“I went back to get a rebound, over-extended a little bit, and I felt something,” Reaves said postgame. “I feel decent right now, so we’ll see.”
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, team physicians ordered a second MRI when the initial scan focused on the wrong area. Head coach JJ Redick noted, “I don’t know where the chain of command lies with Dallas imaging, but they scanned the wrong area. Not on our end.”
Injury-Riddled Roster
Reaves’ setback follows Friday’s announcement that Luka Doncic sustained a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, sidelining the star guard for the remainder of the season and likely at least the opening round of the postseason.
Redick said the club’s objective of securing the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference remains unchanged. While Reaves and Doncic heal, the coach expects LeBron James, Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton to shoulder heavier scoring duties.
Since Reaves returned to the lineup in early February, James has mostly acted as the third option, averaging 15.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists over the last seven games on just 11.7 shot attempts per contest—well below his career mark of 18.6. “You have to flip the mindset a little bit when your role changes,” James said.
Veteran guard Marcus Smart, sidelined the past six games with groin and ankle issues, is listed day-to-day and remains uncertain for Sunday’s matchup in Dallas after limited participation in Saturday’s practice.
Expanded Rotation
Redick intends to widen his rotation from nine to as many as 11 players for the stretch run. Kobe Bufkin, Nick Smith Jr. and Dalton Knecht will rejoin the Lakers after competing in Sunday night’s G League playoffs with South Bay.
Playoff Positioning
Los Angeles holds a one-game edge over Denver and sits two games ahead of Houston for third place in the West. After Sunday’s contest, the Lakers host Oklahoma City on Tuesday, travel to Golden State on Thursday, then close the regular season with home games against Phoenix on Friday and Utah on Sunday.
Source: Hoops Rumors
