The Los Angeles Lakers (53-29) may be up 3-1 in their first-round series, but they cannot afford to lose any sense of urgency to close out the unrelenting Houston Rockets (52-30).
Fortunately, with star shooting guard Austin Reaves set to retake the court this week, their chances for victory are improving. In a recent chat with the media ahead of Tuesday’s practice, the 27-year-old provided his own perspective on the playoffs and the Lakers’ surprising success without their two leading scorers. More importantly, he also detailed his ongoing recovery process from a very unfortunate injury.
“We sat down, and JJ specifically was like, ‘You have to be comfortable with your body and what you can do to go out there and be successful.’ I want to get out there as fast as I can,” said Reaves, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “Like I said, I feel good, we’re trending in the right direction. We’ll wake up tomorrow and attack it another day. I’m bad at feeling pain, so if I can feel it, it’s not good. Just trying to battle through it every day.”
Reaves had a career year for the Lakers, averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 49.0% shooting and 36.0% shooting from three. He was on track to continue his performance into the playoffs before he sprained his oblique, costing him the first four games of the series against Houston.
“I kinda had a feeling,” Reaves added. “If something bothers me, then it’s usually something that’s wrong. Super frustrated, just got the Luka news. Playing super well as a team. Super frustrated, obviously, but our confidence does not wane in the rest of the team. The rest of the message, from that day forward, was that we’re going to do everything as a team, they were going to do everything as a team, to give us an opportunity to come back and play. They’ve done exactly what they’ve said.”
Reaves continues to inch closer to a return, but his status remains day to day. For Wednesday’s pivotal contest, Reaves is listed as questionable, with a final ruling pending the results of a medical examination. While Austin did not provide a concrete answer on when he will suit up again, he confirmed that he and the team have been working on a comprehensive recovery plan.
“Just how my body feels,” said Reaves. “Everybody’s on the same page here, so the main thing is to get me back out there as fast as I can without putting myself at risk to re-injure myself. Everybody’s been extremely positive throughout this whole process, and we’re all working for one goal. We’re doing everything we can.”
Of course, the Lakers may not need Austin to close out this series. They won the first three games without him, and it was something he took great joy in witnessing, despite lingering frustration that he wasn’t a part of the action.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Just seeing the determination, the togetherness, and the joy of playing basketball together with seamless possessions. It’s been a lot of fun. Luka and I talk about it every time we watch it; just how hard they’re playing, the attention to detail, the togetherness. It was pretty miserable not having control and having no hope of affecting the game. I was talking and trying to lead without being on the court, but it sucks, and I’ll do everything to get back as soon as I can.”
Reaves’ return would put the Lakers firmly in control of this series, but the Rockets have already shown that they will not give up without a fight. No matter who is available to play, the Lakers must come in with a sense of urgency, focus, and unity if they want to take care of business and avoid opening the door for a historic choke job.
As for Austin, this is a chance for him to play the hero. Coming back now, in time to end the series early and secure a ticket to the Semifinals, is the dream scenario of Lakers fans, but he will not risk his future durability. That’s why, despite being up in the series, the Purple and Gold are facing pressure to win the game tomorrow, so they can grant their stars some precious extra days before the next round begins.
