Austin Reaves missed three games early in November due to a groin injury. He will now miss a few more after the Lakers diagnosed Reaves with a mild left calf strain on Friday.
There’s been no mention of the when the injury occurred or the severity of it. He did play 40 minutes on Wednesday and is averaging a career-high 36.9 minutes per game on the season.
The Lakers embark on a four-game road trip starting on Sunday in Phoenix. Then Los Angeles travels to Utah on Thursday, plays the Clippers on Saturday, and heads back out to Phoenix on Tuesday.
Reaves will be re-evaluated in one week, so there’s a chance he misses all four games on the road trip.
It’s a huge loss because Reaves is averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.0 steals and 2.8 treys per game while shooting 50% from the field, 36% from downtown and 87% from the line. The usage rate on the season is 27.8%.
Marcus Smart will likely enter the starting lineup for Reaves. Luka Doncic already has a sky-high usage rate, so LeBron James should see an uptick.
