The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a disheartening 99-93 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, allowing the Rockets to close the gap to 3-2 in the first-round series. As disappointing as the situation is for the Lakers, Austin Reaves‘ long-awaited return from injury offers some solace.
The guard came off the bench for the Lakers, contributing 22 points, four rebounds, and six assists in 34 minutes of action. Given that he was appearing for the first time since March 31, Austin Reaves was asked to shed light on his experience and recovery journey during his postgame media availability.
When asked about how he ramped up his activity before returning to action on Wednesday night, he responded:
“It’s been a grind. I’ve been running around Los Angeles doing everything I could possibly do to get back to this moment. We’ve done it. Feels good. I love playing basketball. It’s my happy place.”
“It was nice to get out there, obviously. Wish I played a little better, wish I made a couple more shots. At the end of the day, I had fun out there. It was good to compete.”
Before going down with an oblique injury, Austin Reaves was considered one of the most important members of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation. As one of the best scorers on the team, Reaves played a critical role as a secondary scoring option behind Luka Doncic.
In 51 appearances during the 2025-26 regular season, Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from three-point range. Considering that he was the second-highest scorer for the Lakers this season, the team is bound to benefit from his return.
Can Austin Reaves Lead The Lakers To Victory?
Although Austin Reaves managed to score 20+ points in Game 5, it wasn’t enough. While addressing his own performance in Game 5, Reaves pinpointed his shortcomings, stating:
“I missed a lot of easy looks… We’ll watch film tomorrow, get better, and go try to win a game Friday.”
As JJ Redick stated during his postgame press conference, Reaves also noted that the Lakers’ mistakes on Wednesday night lay in their offensive execution. Considering that Reaves shot 4-16 from the field and 2-8 from beyond the arc, the guard was also a culprit in the team’s underwhelming scoring performance.
Given that he is returning after missing almost a month of inactivity, Austin Reaves deserves some latitude. But it goes without saying that the Lakers will need Reaves to be more assertive in the next game.
Austin Reaves’ first game back ended in a loss, but there is reason to believe he could be more impactful moving forward. Considering that the team’s offensive rating improves from 116.6 to 119.4 with him on the floor this season, the Lakers can expect a boost in scoring.
With hopes that the young star will find his groove again, the Lakers will hit the road in an attempt to close things out in Game 6 on Friday, May 1. Given the importance of winning the next game, the Lakers will also look to Reaves and LeBron James to step up to the plate in Houston.
