Anyone following the Los Angeles Lakers is holding their breath, waiting for the official announcement regarding the severity of Austin Reaves' heel injury. The hope is a minimal absence for the star guard. In any case, most are anticipating some missed time for Luka Doncic's running mate.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Reaves is being described as day-to-day.)
While the Lakers take good care of Reaves, ensuring his long-term health as the main priority, there will be minutes and responsibilities to go around in the meantime. Doncic has been calling for next man up. That should trickle down to guys like Cameron Carr and Adou Thiero.
Reaves is currently second on the team, averaging 35.3 minutes per game. That number is even brought down by his early exit against the Milwaukee Bucks, too. There is a lot of rotation time that will need to get reallocated during any duration of absence.
Guys like Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton will be asked for more immediate answers to Doncic's challenge. Even so, Carr and Thiero are not total afterthoughts. In Adou's case, it could be a bigger slice of the pie than what he is used to. For Cam, it is about getting on the floor at all.
Adou Thiero should see a minutes uptick while Austin Reaves is out
Thiero has only played 9.3 minutes per game so far this season. That should go up if Reaves is sitting on the bench in street clothes.
While Adou and Austin naturally play different positions, guys like Jake LaRavia and Ziaire Williams can be expected to scale down positionally to help balance the rotations. That will open up more forward minutes for Thiero.
There have been flashes of brilliance from Adou on the defensive end that make anyone watching want to see more. Not only should that be on the menu, but it will also be interesting to see how the Lakers incorporate a little more action for him on offense, too. Thiero should get valuable reps here.
Cameron Carr is in line for playing time he would not otherwise have
JJ Redick sent Carr down to the G League earlier this season because there were no reps available for him at the NBA level. With Grimes' recent right finger sprain, the Lakers rookie is coming off back-to-back games of being in the rotation. That should continue during any time Reaves misses.
Carr's minutes have been pretty subdued for the Lakers. It would be surprising to see him get over 20 minutes, or anything close to that type of crazy nature. However, the rookie wing can maintain consistent playing time all the same.
Getting to rub shoulders with Doncic more regularly should be advantageous for Carr. It will give him a chance to feel out how he can fit in with the franchise's cornerstone. Luka should help him develop an understanding of where the young rook can be effective on the offensive end at the NBA level.
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