The 7-3 Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to get back to winning ways when they take on the 3-6 Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Monday. The Lakers have received a bit of a boost in that quest, as Austin Reaves could potentially return from injury against the Hornets.
The injury report for the game is out, and Reaves (right groin strain) has been upgraded to questionable. The 27-year-old could potentially suit up, but LeBron James (right sciatica), Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery), and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) won’t, as all three have been listed as out.
Reaves has missed the last three games for the Lakers due to this groin injury. Head coach JJ Redick said he expected the guard to return at some point during this five-game road trip, which has started on a terrible note.
The short-handed Atlanta Hawks shockingly blew out the Lakers 122-102 on Saturday. Would Reaves have been able to prevent this outcome? It is hard to say, but he certainly wouldn’t have hurt their chances.
Reaves has averaged 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game for the Lakers in 2025-26. He has been one of the standouts in this early stage of the season, and did a remarkable job of carrying the team when both James and Luka Doncic were out.
While Doncic is healthy now, James remains on the sidelines. The 21-time All-Star has at least been cleared for contact basketball activities, and we could see him make his season debut not too long into the future.
As for Thiero and Vincent, there is still no clear timetable on when they’ll be back. The former has yet to make his Lakers debut, and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact he makes in his rookie season.
While the Lakers could end up being without two of their best players here, their injury list isn’t quite as bad as the Hornets’. The hosts will be without LaMelo Ball (right ankle impingement), Josh Green (left shoulder surgery), Brandon Miller (left shoulder subluxation), and Grant Williams (right knee surgery) here.
Miles Bridges (back spasms), meanwhile, has been listed as questionable. Bridges hasn’t missed a game so far this season, and it would be a massive blow to the Hornets if he joins Ball on the sidelines for this clash with the Lakers. They are the two leading scorers on the team, and you wouldn’t give the hosts much of a chance of winning without both of them.
Then again, no one thought the Hawks could take down the Lakers with Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard being out. Deandre Ayton admitted postgame that they might have underestimated the Hawks, and you’d like to think they won’t make that mistake again. Time will tell.
