Austin Reaves, Lakers
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Austin Reaves is averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game. He hasn't played in a month due to injury.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been without Austin Reaves since last month. Without Reaves, the Lakers have a record of 8-7. Before Reaves suffered a grade 2 strain in his left calf muscle, he was playing like an All-Star.
On Saturday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters that Reaves could return as soon as Wednesday, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. With Reaves’ return to the lineup, the Lakers will have one of its play makers back. But former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins doesn’t think Reaves’ return will fix the Lakers’ issues.
“I don’t think it fix it at all,” Cousins said on the Run it Back show. “I think it’s the same issues moving forward, the same conversations will come out of Austin Reaves returning. I’m not saying the Lakers won’t be better with their other star returning, but it doesn’t fix the issues of the team.”
Cousins stated that he believes a key issue for the Lakers is defense. The Lakers won its last game against the Dallas Mavericks 116-110. On the season, the Lakers have averaged a total of 116.2 points per game through 44 games.
Lakers Team Issues Despite Winning Record
Despite having a winning record at 27-17, the Lakers have had some team issues throughout the season. On Jan. 15, the Lakers suffered a 135-117 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Redick talked about the team’s defensive play after suffering a near 20-point loss to the Hornets.
“I think that in general with our team, against certain teams that have the dynamic drivers — which the Hornets have some really good drivers and they have a ton of shooting — we can be a little bit cautious guarding the ball,” Redick said.
The Lakers followed up the loss against Charlotte with another loss to Portland Trailblazers, allowing Portland to score 132 points. LA has a defensive rating of 117.0 which is sixth worst in the league. There’s something that needs to be done for this Lakers team, because it’ll be tough competing in the Western Conference against a plethora of teams who are talented.
Can Austin Reaves’ Return Help Fix Lakers’ Issues?
This season, Reaves is averaging 26.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds through 23 games. If he did suffer the injury, Reaves would have been a strong candidate to play in the All-Star Game. Looking at his numbers, Reaves has made major contributions on the court. He has shown his ability to score, pass, and rebound.
The question is will his return make a positive impact on the issues that the team is having? Reaves’ return could ignite the team chemistry and help change the Lakers’ morale. On paper, the Lakers are filled with talented players and have the roster to make a deep push in the playoffs. But when teammates aren’t on the same page and the chemistry isn’t there, that can have a negative impact on the overall team, even if you have a winning record.
The team will be glad to have Reaves back on the court and his return could help the Lakers trend in the right direction.