On Tuesday, Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves held his first media session since suffering a Grade 2 oblique strain against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2. While Reaves said that it's been "fun to watch" the Lakers' success without him and Luka Doncic on the court, he also admitted that the experience of being out has been tough to swallow.
"It's been pretty miserable," Reaves said. "Just not having somewhat of a control on the game, just sitting over there with not no hope in the game, but no hope that I can affect the game."
Austin Reaves reveals inner fire with latest comments on injury
Reaves' comments about feeling miserable while sidelined align with a player who is deeply passionate about competing. It literally pains Reaves to watch the Lakers while injured because he wants to be out there impacting winning. That's the kind of person you want to invest in, and the kind of person that can be part of a championship fabric.
The good news for Reaves and the Lakers is that AR might be able to suit up and start in Game 5 against a Houston Rockets squad growing in confidence. While nothing has been announced on Reaves, reports suggest that he's progressed to the point of a return, and it could be a game-time decision on Wednesday. The Lakers have strategic reasons to wait until the last possible moment to announce Reaves' status.
If Reaves does indeed play, he's not expected to be at 100 percent. There will be rust and conditioning concerns, but even a 75 percent Austin Reaves can help a Lakers offense that started to fall off in Game 4 against the Rockets. Although Reaves' haters will be waiting in the wings to criticize a sub-normal performance from the recovering star, it's obvious from his comments on Tuesday that Austin is dying to be out there, even if he's not fully himself.
Reaves gives the Lakers another shooter ... and a possible decoy
The Lakers were a dreadful 5-of-22 from 3-point land in Game 4. Even if Reaves isn't as mobile as usual, his perimeter shooting would still add value in Game 5. In that vein, Reaves' presence could also serve as a decoy, attracting gravity away from guys like LeBron James and Luke Kennard, who would have more room to operate with Reaves out there spacing the floor.
It's crazy to be talking about Reaves spacing the floor for Kennard (it's usually the other way around), but until we see what AR looks like out there, it must be assumed that LA will still be relying on Kennard as a secondary or even primary scorer. Then again, it's always possible that Reaves plays in Game 5 and looks closer to his normal self than expected. He and the Lakers could be playing mind games with Houston.
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