If the Lakers are going to begin a winning streak during their road trip, they’ll have to do it without two of their starters.
Austin Reaves is currently out with a left calf strain. He will be re-evaluated around Friday as the Lakers are using an abundance of caution surrounding his injury.
The good news for Reaves is that he practiced on Wednesday and looked very mobile afterward, taking shots with his teammate, Dalton Knecht.
The not-so-good news for LA, though, is that they’ll also be playing without
their starting center, Deandre Ayton, who has been ruled out against Utah with a left calf strain.
Ayton has been relatively healthy this season, missing just two games. The most recent absence was against the Clippers with a right knee contusion and the other was against the Heat with back spasms.
Until the team provides details on this injury, it’s unclear when the elbow soreness became an issue or how long he’ll be out.
In the meantime, Jaxson Hayes will likely get the start with Ayton out.
Hayes was the team’s starting center last year and did a good job in that role during the regular season, averaging 6.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Also, if Maxi Kleber, who is listed as probable, is available, he’s another player head coach JJ Redick can go to as a center.
The Lakers also had some success with their small-ball lineups recently, so this might be an opportunity to explore that more with Ayton out.
Another rotation player could also be out for Los Angeles against Utah. Gabe Vincent is questionable with low back soreness.
While potentially missing all of these players would be less than ideal, the Lakers will still have their superstars, LeBron James and Luka Dončić, ready to go.
With them and a couple of days of rest, the Lakers should still have enough to beat a Jazz team that’s five games below .500.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
