Austin Reaves is done for the rest of the regular season after being diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, the Lakers announced Saturday. The blow piles onto an earlier injury to Luka Dončić and leaves Los Angeles without its starting backcourt with only five games left before the playoffs. Coach JJ Redick said the team received the diagnosis after imaging in Dallas and that the group will have to quickly regroup for what is suddenly a very tricky closing stretch.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Reaves underwent an MRI on his left oblique and rib area on Saturday and was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain that will keep him out through the end of the regular season. The Lakers are also monitoring guard Marcus Smart's right ankle contusion, and Redick told reporters the team's "mission hasn't changed" even as the depth chart takes some heavy hits.
Tests, timeline, and bench additions
Per ESPN, Reaves needed two MRI exams after the first scan did not focus on the correct area. Sources, including Shams Charania, say he is expected to miss four to six weeks, a timetable that would likely keep him out through at least the opening round of the playoffs if the Lakers advance. ESPN also reports that Redick plans to expand the rotation, with two-way players from the South Bay Lakers, Kobe Bufkin, Nick Smith Jr., and Dalton Knecht, set to join the team in Dallas.
LeBron's bigger role ahead
The responsibility now falls even more on LeBron James, who has averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 6.0 rebounds this season, according to the Los Angeles Times. James called the situation "a challenge" and pushed a next man up approach as the coaching staff redraws the rotation on the fly.
Where this leaves the playoff race
ESPN notes that the Lakers sit third in the Western Conference, holding a thin lead and the tiebreaker over Denver, Houston, and Minnesota with five games remaining. The final slate, at Dallas, then Oklahoma City, Golden State, and Phoenix, before finishing at home against Utah, will put the team's depth under a spotlight right as the postseason looms.
With the starting backcourt effectively sidelined, Los Angeles will lean on role players and short-term call-ups to hang on to seeding while medical timelines come into sharper focus. Expect nightly updates from the team as the Lakers head to Dallas on Sunday and begin a high-stakes final week of the regular season.
