Los Angeles Lakers fans are still sitting tight and waiting for further updates on Austin Reaves' heel injury. The star guard exited early from Wednesday's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, and the only real thing that is known right now would be that an Achilles injury has been ruled out.
It is safe to assume Reaves will miss time here for the Lakers, no matter the severity of the ailment. Luka Doncic has already preached about this being time for a next-man-up mentality. Replacing the impact of an All-Star caliber player will be a multi-man effort for Los Angeles, but one guy who will undoubtedly have a spotlight on him is Quentin Grimes.
Grimes is dealing with his own injury issues right now. However, there should be optimism about the swelling caused by his right finger sprain going down by Sunday evening. If or when it does, the Lakers guard will need to show up with a more aggressive offensive approach for the team.
One would imagine that, if available, Grimes is going to be the player elevated to the starting lineup in absence of Reaves. That will make him the backcourt guy who has to help take pressure off Doncic. The Lakers need their $60 million wing to respond accordingly, and up the aggression by searching for his own offense a whole lot more often.
The Lakers need more from Quentin Grimes on offense
One of the major things that has created discontent with Grimes' signing for a portion of Lakers fans has been his offense. Defensively, the newcomer to Los Angeles has been largely solid. Making the most of his opportunities on the attack is still a work in progress.
The good news is that getting elevated to the starting lineup should give Grimes an opportunity to have the ball in his hands more. Even with Doncic commanding the touches he does, Q should still expect an uptick. That is where the Lakers need him in full go mode.
Grimes is the type of player who can find rhythm from extra volume and added chances. His 23-point game against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this season is a good example of that.
In the first half, Grimes got seven shots up and had six points. The 26-year-old exploded in the second half, adding 17 more points in large part due to not only making his shots but really getting himself to the free throw line consistently. That is the guy who the Lakers need during a Reaves-less stretch.
It cannot be undersold how much AR does for the offense to support Doncic. Imagine this as the type of scenario where someone leaves a job and the company needs multiple people to come in and do that workload left behind. Grimes cannot do it all, but he will need to spearhead that effort.
Add us as a preferred source on Google