Only adding to the Los Angeles Lakers’ woes, it was revealed on Saturday that Austin Reaves is set to sit out of the regular season with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury. This comes after LeBron James and co lost star guard Luka Doncic to injury too. ESPN reported that the Slovenian’s postseason participation is doubtful.
Austin Reaves injury update
ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Reaves has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and is out for the remainder of the regular season.
Read More: ‘Luka Doncic faked hamstring injury…’: Popular NBA analyst breaks down Lakers star’s reaction
Reaves came away from Thursday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with discomfort in his rib/oblique area. “I went back to get a rebound, overextended a little bit and I felt something,” he said after the defeat.
Austin Reaves return timeline
Charania further revealed Reaves’ expected return timeline. “Lakers’ Austin Reaves is expected to miss four to six weeks with the Grade 2 oblique injury, sources tell ESPN. Devastating run of injuries to L.A.’s two leading scorers. Reaves and Luka Doncic are expected to be sidelined to begin the NBA playoffs,” he wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
Read More: Luka Doncic, Lakers get massive relief amid injury concerns; expert reveals return date
Reaves, 27, has averaged a career-best 23.3 points with 4.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 51 games (45 starts). He missed 19 consecutive games earlier this season with a calf injury.
In five seasons, all with the Lakers, Reaves has averaged 15.8 points with 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 331 games (216 starts).
Luka Doncic injury update
Meanwhile, Doncic will miss the remainder of the NBA regular season with a left hamstring strain, the team said Friday. He ‘has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain and will be out for the remainder of the regular season’, the Lakers, who have five games left in the regular season, said in a statement.
Read More: Luka Doncic injury update: Lakers star’s MVP chances still alive; agent issues postseason update
Doncic’s injury is a massive blow to the Lakers, who have clinched a playoff berth but at third in the Western Conference are just one game ahead of the fourth-placed Denver Nuggets.
Doncic leads the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points per game and is also averaging 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds. Doncic was just named Western Conference Player of the Month for March when he averaged 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals.
