Lakers guard Austin Reaves may be rested to minimize injury risk after missing nine games due to a strained oblique muscle. However, this decision is being criticized as potentially detrimental to the team's performance.
Key points
Austin Reaves may be rested to reduce injury risk
He missed nine games due to a strained oblique muscle
Reaves wants to return to play as soon as possible
Sitting him could harm the Lakers' performance
Los Angeles LakersAustin Reaves
Lakers could sit Austin Reaves to reduce risk. Why it's a bad idea.
“I want to get back out there as fast as I can,” Reaves told reporters Tuesday, April 28 at the Lakers’ training facility.
Increasingly, it sounds like Reaves is returning to action after missing the past nine games with a strained oblique muscle.
But is that a bad idea?
Would the Lakers be better off sitting Reaves again when they play the Houston Rockets Wednesday, April 29 in Los Angeles? Would it make sense to remove the risk of reinjury as they take a 3-1 lead into Game 5 with a chance to close out the first-round playoff series?
Presumably. the extra rest could further heal the oblique muscle Reaves strained April 2 before missing nine straight games recovering from the injury.
Something else to keep in mind: Reaves, the Lakers’ second-leading scorer in the regular season, could help the Lakers clinch the series and kill any hope of a historic Rockets rally. (No NBA team ever won a playoff series after being down 3-0, and the Rockets avoided a sweep by winning Game 4 in Houston.)
The Lakers could sit Austin Reaves to reduce the risk of re-injury after he missed nine games due to a strained oblique muscle.
What injury did Austin Reaves suffer from?
Austin Reaves suffered a strained oblique muscle, which caused him to miss the last nine games.
What are the potential consequences of sitting Reaves?
Sitting Reaves could negatively impact the Lakers' performance, as he has expressed a strong desire to return to play.
When did Austin Reaves express his intention to return?
Austin Reaves expressed his intention to return to action on April 28 at the Lakers' training facility.
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Fans arrive to watch warmups before game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Denver Nuggets and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Ball Arena.
But that’s missing the more important point if Reaves is ready to play, according to Mychael Thompson, who won NBA championships as a member of the Lakers in 1987 and 1988 and is a broadcaster for the Laker games.
“Needs a tuneup game before the OKC series,’’ Thompson told USA TODAY Sports of Reaves.
When they Lakers end this series, they’ll be facing the reigning champions and top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. And they’ll need Reaves in as close to top form as possible. That’ll be even more true with Luka Dončić out indefinitely with a hamstring injury.
As of Wednesday, Reaves will have gone 26 days without playing in a game. It’s hard to imagine he’ll be in top form for the Oklahoma City Thunder after one game against the Rockets. Of course, the series could extend another three games. Regardless, the faster Reaves gets back into game action, the faster he’ll regain the form during which he averaged 23.3 points per game this season and a career-high 51 points against the Sacramento Kings Oct. 26.
The Lakers will need that explosive guard to have any shot of beating the Thunder.
Concerns about the Lakers pushing Reaves back too quickly are unfounded. Before each of the past two games, Reaves was listed as questionable and ended up sitting out.
There’s no rush.
But if he’s ready, and he’s suggested he is – “I feel good,’’ he told reporters. “Trending in the right direction’’ – it’s time to get him back on the court.
