Lakers hit with a setback! Austin Reaves suffers a mild left calf strain, expected to miss at least one week.

As of December 13th Beijing time, the Lakers received unfortunate news that Austin Reaves has a mild strain in his left calf and will be re-assessed in a week. This indicates he will miss a minimum of one week’s worth of games.

Because of the NBA Cup, the Lakers have just two matches next week: December 15th on the road against the Suns and December 19th away against the Jazz. If Reaves returns after a week, he is expected to miss these two games. The earliest he could come back is for the Clippers game next week.

Before this injury, Reaves missed three games from November 4th to 9th, during which the Lakers went 2-1. With Reaves out again, greater responsibility will fall on LeBron James and Luka Dončić.

So far this season, Reaves has played 21 games for the Lakers, averaging 27.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of 50.3%, three-point accuracy of 36.9%, and free throw rate of 87.5%.

Data shows that in the 775 minutes Reaves has been on the court this season, the Lakers outscore opponents by 4.9 points per 100 possessions, while in the 378 minutes he is off the floor, the Lakers are outscored by 4.4 points per 100 possessions.

Currently, the Lakers hold a 17-7 record, ranking fourth in the Western Conference.