The Los Angeles Lakers saw star guards Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves go down with different injuries in the team’s latest win over the Milwaukee Bucks. But while the Slovenian appears to be ‘fine’ after tweaking his ankle, the same can’t be said for Reaves, who suffered a heel injury the Lakers still don’t have the full scope of yet.
Early Reaves injury updates looked positive, as it doesn’t look like the shooting guard is dealing with an Achilles issue, but the Lakers haven’t announced any official news on the 28-year-old yet, and some recent outlooks on his status don’t bode well.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters X-rays on Reaves’ injury came back negative, and while the team is still waiting for further tests to come back, one sports doctor’s update on the star signals he could be set to miss a decent amount of time for Los Angeles.
Sports Doctor Offers Concerning Austin Reaves Injury Update
Writing in a post on X after Reaves’ injury for the Lakers, notable sports doctor Brian Sutterer explained what he thinks happened to the player and how long he thinks he might be forced to sit out.
“Plantar fascia strain/tear would be top of my list for Austin Reaves,” Sutterer wrote on social media.
While the Lakers ruled out an Achilles injury for Reaves, which would have been the worst-case scenario, Sutterer still believes the shooting guard is set to miss time.
According to his report, if Reaves is dealing with a plantar fascia injury, he could miss roughly three weeks, which could be up to ten games for the Lakers.
Los Angeles does have a light schedule coming up, and until the team offers an official injury update on the player, his exact status or return timeline remains unknown. However, as the sports doctor said, even if it is a heel bruise, which would be the best-case scenario, Reaves would still be slated to miss time.
Early Reports From Los Angeles On Star Shooting Guard’s Status
As mentioned, Redick provided a brief Reaves injury update after the team’s win over the Bucks on Wednesday night. Along with ruling out an Achilles issue, he told reporters initial X-rays came back negative, but further tests would be done to understand the full scope of what the 28-year-old having the best season of his career is dealing with.
“JJ Redick says X-rays were negative for Reaves. No further update on him until he receives medical imaging back in Los Angeles on Thursday,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin wrote in a post on X.
Additionally, ESPN’s top NBA insider Shams Charania offered similar thoughts on Reaves, stating that the Lakers still don’t know the exact status of his injury, but hinting that an official update could come soon.
“As far as Austin Reaves is concerned, the expectation is that he’s gonna undergo tests for his heel injury at some point today. The Lakers landed back in Los Angeles from Milwaukee late last night, so I’m sure Austin Reaves slept a little. At some point, we’re going to get a re-examination done of his injury,” Charania said on NBA Today.
While it appears Doncic is set to return from his minor ankle injury, considering both he and Redick said the star would be ‘fine,’ the same can’t be said for Reaves. When discussing the available updates about his status, Lakers reporter Jovan Buha believes the shooting guard is likely set to sit out for a bit.
“Austin’s injury is the one that is most concerning,” Buha said. “X-rays were negative on his heel, but the Lakers will still do some imaging (Thursday). (Head coach) JJ (Redick) said they have ruled out an Achilles injury. But it does seem like there’s a possibility here that Austin misses some. (It’s) unclear how much.”
For now, the Lakers still have yet to announce an official Reaves injury update, but based on what insiders and doctors have said, at least some missed time, potentially up to ten games, can’t be ruled out for Los Angeles.
In 12 games this season, Reaves is averaging 24.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 51.3% shooting. It’s arguably the best year of his career so far, but there’s a solid chance his latest heel injury puts a stop to what could have been, and still might be, a potential All-Star and All-NBA campaign for the formerly undrafted player.
Lakers Get Concerning Austin Reaves Injury News Awaiting Official Update