The Los Angeles Lakers caught a lucky break with the latest Austin Reaves injury news, as per head coach JJ Redick, the star shooting guard is ‘day-to-day’ after suffering a heel injury in the team’s latest win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
While the Lakers initially ruled out an Achilles injury for Reaves, it took a while for any official updates to emerge. X-rays shortly after the player went down were negative, and per the latest news, it looks like Reaves isn’t expected to face a long-term absence, with his return timeline likely closer to a few days than a few weeks.
Redick told reporters the team opted out of getting imaging done on Reaves’ injury, and while any official return date is still undetermined, according to recent estimations, it looks like the 28-year-old will get back on the court much sooner than originally expected.
Lakers Get Great News On Austin Reaves Injury Return Date
Most recently, Redick offered a Reaves injury update after the Lakers’ Friday practice.
“JJ Redick said Austin Reaves will be day-to-day and the official injury designation will be shared tomorrow. He has a “bruise on his heel.” Reaves and the Lakers mutually opted against imaging,” team reporter Jovan Buha wrote in a post on X.
Following that positive news for Los Angeles, there’s a sign Reaves could return sooner than initially thought. According to ESPN’s NBA injury status page, the shooting guard has an estimated return date of November 15, which is the Lakers’ next game against the Phoenix Suns.
Reaves went down on Wednesday with the heel injury, and while the team got extremely lucky with a full three-day break of no games in the schedule, it looks like there is a good chance the player doesn’t end up missing any time.
The Lakers have yet to release an official injury report of their own for the upcoming Suns game, and until they do, an exact Reaves return date or timeline still won’t be known. However, with the news of him ‘day-to-day’ there is a good chance he’s questionable for the Sunday contest, and the team will decide on his status closer to tipoff.
Los Angeles Avoided Worst-Case Scenario On Injured Star
The Lakers avoided a worst-case scenario following the new Reaves injury updates. While his official return is still undetermined, initial concerns of an Achilles tear or a more extreme plantar fascia injury can now be ruled out.
As the California Post’s Khobi Price wrote, the Lakers got lucky Reaves isn’t set for a long-term absence.
“Austin Reaves’ injury update wasn’t as dire as it could’ve been. The Lakers announced on Friday that team medical staff and Reaves mutually opted against imaging for the star guard’s bruised left heel,” he wrote. “While that doesn’t mean the former Oklahoma guard will return to the floor immediately, it does signify he won’t be sidelined for as long as feared externally after he suffered the injury during Wednesday’s road win over the Bucks.”
But while an exact Reaves return timeline is still unknown, despite ESPN’s new estimations, there is a chance the star guard could be out for longer than just a few days, as Svyatoslav Rovenchuk discussed, citing teammate Luka Doncic‘s ‘next man up’ postgame comments after the initial health concern, he isn’t in the clear just yet.
“If JJ Redick is being transparent and not cloaking the severity of his star guard’s ailment, the Los Angeles Lakers have dodged a major bullet after Reaves’ early exit against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday,” he wrote.
“Day-to-day is a generous and optimistic designation considering where this situation was after it had just happened. Luka Doncic was talking about the Lakers needing a next-man-up mentality. That may still prove to be true. It may just only be necessary for a game or two, instead of anything significantly more.”
Regardless, the latest news on Reaves is positive, as it’s clear the Lakers’ second leading scorer had a chance of missing more time. He is officially day-to-day, and his first chance at returning to action is on Sunday against the Suns.
In 12 appearances this season, Reaves is averaging 24.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists on 51.3% shooting, potentially in line for his first All-Star and All-NBA honors if he stays healthy enough to play at least 65 games.
Doncic, Collin Sexton, and Quentin Grimes are also dealing with minor injuries for the Lakers, but there’s an expectation that each, and potentially Reaves, will be ready to go for the team’s next game.
Lakers Get Great News With Updated Austin Reaves Injury Return Date