Los Angeles Lakers rising star Austin Reaves has been ruled out in their third preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 10, JJ Redick told reporters.
“He’s got some ankle soreness,” Redick said, per Spectrum SportsNet. “Nothing to be concerned about. He’s been at the gym for us for the majority of September. He’s played the second half of [October 6 game against the Phoenix Suns]. It’s just gotta be good for him to have the night off.”
In addition to Reaves being a late scratch, Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis will also be on a minute restriction, Redick added.
“We’ll see how they feel at halftime and we’ll go from there,” Redick said. “And going forward … we have a framework for how we’re gonna ramp them up. Again, we’ll make those decisions in real-time.”
Third-year wing Max Christie will replace Reaves in the Lakers’ starting lineup.
Reaves has been the Lakers’ leading playmaker in the preseason. Over their first two preseason games, both losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Suns, Reaves averaged 7.0 assists to go with 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals in 26.6 minutes.
Redick has been using Reaves more as the lead playmaker and ball handler while moving D’Angelo Russell into shooting guard.
Austin Reaves Expected to Have Big Year Under JJ Redick
Hopes are high that Reaves will reach his full potential under Redick.
That optimism was shared by no less than Reaves’ agent, Aaron Reilly, when Redick was named the Lakers new head coach, replacing Darvin Ham.
“This coach is about to show a different part of Austin’s game [that] none have you seen. Kept receipts on all that third superstar [expletive]. Great hire for LA – going to be a big year next season,” Reilly tweeted on June 20.
Reaves is coming off another strong season, averaging career highs across the board: 15.9 points, 5.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds in 32.1 minutes.
Lakers’ Homegrown Pride
The Lakers have rejected trade offers for Reaves, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
“I just know JJ [Redick] has big plans for Austin Reaves,” Windhorst said during the September 6 episode of his “Hoop Collective” podcast. “Not only that, when there were discussions with the Lakers this summer and teams had discussions with them and Austin Reaves came up it was a hard ‘no.’”
In the weeks leading to the February trade deadline, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained in detail why the Lakers have made Reaves untouchable.
“I can’t imagine a better role player because [Reaves] has the trust of those two guys [LeBron James and Anthony Davis],” McMenamin said on the January 8 episode “The Lowe Post” podcast. “He has the confidence of those two guys. He’s been a proven playoff performer. He has the trust and the kind support of the Buss family — the brothers who identified him in the draft process and Governor Jeanie. That’s a point of pride for her to have someone like Austin Reeves who was a homegrown Laker organization product [and] become a star.”
The 24-year-old Reaves will enter the second season of a four-year, $54 million contract he signed last year, which is considered one of the best value deals in the NBA. He is one of the success stories in the league after going undrafted in 2021.
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