Austin Reaves, Lakers, Austin Reaves return
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Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles during a 133-121 Lakers win over the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on November 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Despite being listed as questionable on several recent injury reports, Austin Reaves’ long-awaited return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup has yet to materialize.
Reaves has been sidelined since late December with a calf injury, and while there was growing optimism that he might return during the Lakers’ ongoing eight-game road trip, the organization has continued to take a cautious approach.
Reaves was seen participating in a light pregame warmup ahead of the Lakers’ matchup with the Knicks on Sunday, appearing to test his calf, but ultimately remained out as Los Angeles fell 112-100 at Madison Square Garden.
Lakers Continue Cautious Approach With Reaves
Encouragingly for the Lakers, there have been no reported setbacks in Reaves’ recovery. Instead, the decision to keep him sidelined appears rooted in caution rather than concern.
“I just would say he’s day-to-day, game-to-game,” head coach JJ Redick said following the loss to New York. “We’ll hopefully have him for Tuesday but he’s got to feel 100% confident.”
The final game of the road trip, a Tuesday night meeting with the Brooklyn Nets, now represents the next realistic opportunity for Reaves to return.
As of now, he remains listed as questionable on the injury report and is expected to make another attempt to suit up.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin recently provided additional clarity on how the Lakers are handling Reaves’ ramp-up process behind the scenes.
“Austin’s been ramping up behind the scenes, playing in what they call ‘stay ready’ games, basically five-on-five with some of the bench players and some of the coaches, and so far there have been no setbacks whatsoever,” McMenamin said.
“But they want to make sure he’s completely comfortable by the time he goes into the lineup. So it’s not like a stop-and-start type of situation, where he plays a game or two then needs to rest because that calf isn’t feeling fully right just yet.”
Why Austin Reaves’ Return Matters
Reaves’ absence has been felt, particularly given the level he was playing at before going down.
Prior to the injury, the 27-year-old was enjoying the most productive stretch of his career. Through 22 games, he was averaging 27.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.0 steal per game.
He was also shooting an efficient 50.4% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range, firmly establishing himself as a central offensive pillar alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
The injury was officially announced on January 2, accompanied by a four-week re-evaluation timeline. As McMenamin has since explained, that window was never meant to signal a guaranteed return date.
Instead, a four-to-six week absence was always considered the more realistic expectation for a calf injury that requires full confidence and explosiveness to avoid re-aggravation.
Reaves is not the only name to watch on the injury report.
Bronny James, who missed the Knicks game with left lower leg soreness, is also listed as questionable, while rookie Adou Thiero remains sidelined with a right MCL sprain.
As it stands, the Lakers sit sixth in a tightly packed Western Conference with a 29-19 record.
They are 3.5 games back of the San Antonio Spurs in second place and level with the Phoenix Suns, who currently occupy the seventh seed and a spot in the play-in picture.
With the standings crowded and the margin for error shrinking, Reaves’ impending return could provide a timely boost as the Lakers look to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.