Austin Reaves ($8,400) has missed three consecutive games with a groin injury, but the guard participated in shootaround this morning and he has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Monday’s matchup vs. the Hornets.
With LeBron James (sciatica) yet to play this season, Reaves has been excellent, averaging 31.1 points, 9.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, all of which are career-highs. However, these numbers are slightly misleading, as three of Reaves’ seven starts have come with Luka Doncic ($12,200) inactive.
Doncic is healthy again and in the four games he and Reaves have played together this season, the latter is averaging 24.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game. With Reaves likely to return Monday, Jake LaRavia ($6,000) should shift back to the bench and all of the Lakers’ players should see downgrades to their usage rates, as Reaves is commanding a huge 30.8% usage rate this season. Notably, when sharing the floor with Reaves this season, Doncic’s usage has dropped 1.9 percentage points.
Los Angeles is off to a hot 7-3 start this season and the club is 3-1 with both Reaves and Doncic active. Facing a 3-6 Hornets team that will be without LaMelo Ball (ankle), the Lakers rightfully so are an 8.5-point road favorite over Charlotte on DraftKings Sportsbook.
