Los Angeles Lakers star guard Austin Reaves is currently listed as day-to-day as he nurses a sore ankle.
Reaves was not a participant in L.A.’s 107-102 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday, Oct. 10 after appearing in both of their prior contests. According to Khobi Price of the Orange County Register, Reaves was a non-contact participant in Lakers practice on Saturday, but his status for the rest of their preseason slate is up in the air (h/t Lakers Nation).
Lakers: Austin Reaves has impressed as a distributor in the preseason
The Oklahoma product is a combined 4-19 from the field in the preseason, though he has dished out seven assists in each affair while going a perfect 15-15 from the line. Reaves has given the Lakers a glimpse of just how effective and aggressive he has the potential to be as a playmaker next season.
Reaves can build upon his career season last year & further evolve his game
In 2023-24, the 26-year-old averaged 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and an impressive 5.5 assists per game on a team with high-level distributors like LeBron James (8.3 APG) and D’Angelo Russell (6.3 APG) alongside him. Lakers head coach JJ Redick said on Saturday, Oct. 12 that he expects Reaves not only to be as efficient as he was last season, but also to be more of an assertive creator in Los Angeles’ offense, as Lakers Nation also accentuated.
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Reaves has the skill set to be a lethal tertiary or fourth option for L.A. next time out. Time will tell how much he’s able to dictate the offense with backup point guard Gabe Vincent also ingratiated into the fold once more after recovering from a left knee injury that robbed him of 71 games last time out. For now, Reaves’ day-to-day status is one to be met with concern, though it does not appear that his 2024-25 regular season is in serious jeopardy.
No official word has been released by the Lakers on whether or not Reaves will be active for their next preseason matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Los Angeles will round out their preseason slate with ensuing contests against the Suns and Warriors before gearing up to open the regular season against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Oct. 22. They’ll need Reaves healthy throughout the upcoming campaign in order to push for an NBA title come June.
