It was a pleasant surprise to the Lakers that Austin Reaves was able to return earlier than expected from his oblique strain.
Thanks to his efforts to get back, Reaves helped the Lakers eliminate the Rockets and then played in the second round against the Thunder.
We don’t have all the details on how hard Reaves worked to return or what that entailed, but we did get more information thanks to a piece written by Yaron Weitzman for Yahoo Sports.
Apparently, Reaves’ rehab included working with the Dodgers.
Bolstering the performance staff appears to be Friedman’s and Zaidi’s other priority. “We’re working in collaboration with some of the Dodgers folks to bring in a biomechanics lab,” Pelinka told reporters. Until then, players may have to get used to working with the baseball group at Dodger Stadium. That, according to two league sources, is what the Lakers told Austin Reaves to do while he was rehabbing from an oblique injury during the playoffs.
With Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi having worked with the Dodgers for years and now serving as advisors to the Lakers, it’s no surprise they came up with this temporary solution.
As Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has mentioned, the upgrades for the Lakers are coming this summer. Still, until then, they’ll have to get creative with solutions and it seems this was a good way to do that.
While it may seem odd that an NBA team is using MLB facilities, according to people with knowledge of those conditions, that’s not necessarily a bad thing when it’s the Dodgers.
“They’re known for taking care of players and being able to get the most out of them,” the MLB executive says. “The giant contracts obviously play a big role, but the way Andrew and his department are able to help players get the best out of themselves has become a major recruiting tool.”
Part of getting the best out of a player is to make sure they can be their best. The partnership and synergy between the Lakers and Dodgers have certainly helped in this instance. It got Reaves to return and gave the Lakers the best chance against OKC.
With a big payday coming for Reaves, he’s already seen firsthand all the efforts and new avenues the Lakers have to make sure he has everything he needs. And with both parties seemingly wanting this partnership to continue, Reaves has even more evidence that this is the place for him.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
