The Los Angeles Lakers will be without their formidable backcourt duo, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, when they begin their playoff campaign against the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Dončić suffered a devastating hamstring injury, while Reaves was dealt a cruel blow in the form of an oblique strain. The dampener came in the form of NBA insider Shams Charania’s latest report that Reaves was ruled out for the entirety of the first round.
NBA Insider Weighs In On Lakers’ Potential Playoff Opponents’ Views on Austin Reaves Lacing Up
Speaking on the latest episode of ‘The Hoop Collective,’ league and ESPN insider Brian Windhorst shared an interesting take when discussing Reaves’ injury.
“There are potential Laker playoff opponents who felt that it was a better chance, based on their analysis of the situation, that Austin Reaves could play sooner rather than later,” he said. “And that, as this team was preparing to potentially see the Lakers, they were preparing for Austin Reaves potentially to play in that first-round series at some point.”
Windhorst was referring to his previous interactions with other Western Conference sides gearing up to play the Lakers in the first round. The initial assessment was that the guard could return much earlier than Dončić.
However, Charania’s latest on Reaves changes things. “Austin Reaves is out for a majority of this first-round series,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Most likely, probably the earliest for him is gonna be that first week of May, so they have a tall task now facing Houston in that first round.”
With the recovery timeline for an oblique strain being four to six weeks, the Lakers star will likely be sidelined until the first week of May. It is worth noting that the second round of the playoffs is slated to start during that time. LA will have Reaves’ services if they manage to get past Houston.
Reaves was a force for the side this season, averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 49.0% from the field, 36.0% from the 3-point line, and 87.1% from the charity stripe. As for Dončić, the superstar is set to rejoin the Purple and Gold before the first round, but his playing status for Game 1 remains unclear at this time. He led the league in scoring this season with 33.5 points per game in 64 appearances.
The Lakers are undoubtedly hampered by the absence of two quality stars, putting all the pressure on four-time NBA champion LeBron James to get them to the next round, where Reaves and Dončić will be available for the side. For the Lakers to get past Kevin Durant and a stern Rockets outfit, it will be all-hands-on-deck as their underwhelming bench will have to support James.
