Austin Reaves was seen on the basketball court on Wednesday

Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers guard who has raised his production each season he has been in the NBA, will not be available to play when the Lakers begin their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday. He's still recovering from the oblique strain he sustained nearly two weeks ago, and his timetable for a potential return is reportedly estimated at four to six weeks.

But this week, he has been seen getting some shots up at practice. On Tuesday, he took some shots while wearing slide sandals, and on Wednesday, he shot around while wearing sneakers, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. It seemed to signify a small step forward in his recovery.

Los Angeles could certainly use Reaves' ability to hit from the outside, attack the paint, put pressure on the rim and get others involved at some point in the playoffs. During the regular season, he averaged 23.3 points on 49% field-goal shooting and 36% from 3-point range and 5.5 assists a game, and he ascended to second in the team's offensive pecking order.

Of course, Luka Doncic also suffered a hamstring strain on April 2, and his timetable for a possible return is expected to be roughly the same as Reaves' timetable. Doncic traveled to Spain to receive treatment for his injury, and he's expected to be back in the States on Friday.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Austin Reaves was seen on the basketball court on Wednesday