The Los Angeles Lakers were initially facing overwhelming odds to win this series, but things have flipped quickly in just a few days.
Amid Kevin Durant’s injury struggle and his absence in the series thus far, the Lakers managed to steal Game 1 on the road. Now, in an update provided by league insider Shams Charania, there are signs that their star shooting guard, Austin Reaves, is making quick progress in his injury recovery. According to Shams, who spoke on ESPN’s NBA Today on Tuesday, he has now outpaced Luka Doncic in the recovery process, who isn’t on track to return until the Conference Semifinals.
“The sense around the Lakers is that Austin Reaves is actually the one who’s further along than Luka Doncic in their respective rehab processes,” said Shams. “I am told that Reaves has started one-on-one on-court work. The next step for him is to continue going through the progressions of three-on-three and five-on-five.”
“Remember, in early April, he had a 4-6 week timetable,” Shams added. “Theoretically, that puts him on track late in this series, potentially early in the next series. The Lakers are not expecting Luka Doncic to be back in this series; he is out indefinitely. But Austin Reaves is making some progress on the court.”
Ultimately, this is mixed news for Lakers fans. On one hand, it all but confirms that Luka Doncic will not suit up against the Rockets, and that’s a major blow given that the 27-year-old 5x All-NBA star is coming off one of his best seasons yet: 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds. 8.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 47.6% shooting and 36.6% shooting from three. On the plus side, it suggests that their 6’5″ sharpshooter, Austin Reaves, may yet play in this series, despite increasing doubt on his return. For a team that needs all the help it can get right now, that’s a major development that could swing the series.
Neither Reaves nor Doncic (a two-time scoring champion) has seen action since being injured on April 2nd. In a brutal 139-96 loss to the Thunder, Austin went down with a Grade 2 left oblique strain, while Luka suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain. Doncic looked to be on track for a faster return, and speculation went rampant when he was spotted on a bike ride with his father, Sasa, this week.
While the Lakers are expecting none of their stars to return for this series, Doncic seemed the most likely to expedite his comeback after receiving treatment in Spain and recently rejoining the team in Los Angeles. Now, the situation has flipped. As Austin Reaves begins to hit milestones in preparation for a return, the feeling is that he’s the one who could play in this series. The situation is still fluid and will depend on a number of factors, not the least of which is how long the Lakers can stay alive without him.
With a 1-0 series lead, the Lakers have already completed the first step to pulling off a miracle. Plus, considering Kevin Durant’s questionable availability, there is a path to victory for Los Angeles, even without their top two leading scorers. The path begins with LeBron James, who had a 19-point double-double on Saturday with 13 assists, eight rebounds, two steals, and one block on 60.0% shooting.
If he can replicate that performance tonight, alongside key contributions from role-players (such as Luke Kennard, who finished with a team-high 27 points in Game 1), it might just be enough to take a 2-0 advantage and buy the team even more time for Reaves to get healthy. This season, he’s been essential to their success, 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% from three. Even if he missed the first three or four games of the series, the Lakers would welcome his return to action.
