If Lakers fans have felt anxious and hopeful about Austin Reaves returning, they can rest assured that he is right there with them.
Reaves has been out with a Grade 2 oblique strain since Apr. 2, and it was considered unlikely that he would play in the opening round of the playoffs.
However, the Rockets won Game 4, guaranteeing a Game 5, and Reaves is knocking on the door of coming back to play.
He is considered a game-time decision for the pivotal home game on Wednesday, but the expectation is that
he will play.
This time away during the most important games of the year has been agonizing for Reaves, whose competitive spirit wants nothing more than to be on the floor impacting winning for the purple and gold.
“I’ve been pretty miserable,” Reaves said after Lakers practice on Tuesday. “Just not having somewhat of a control on a game, just sitting over there with no hope that I can affect the game. Like obviously, I can talk and try to lead, from being over there but not really being on the court. It sucks. I think we’ve seen in the past when I get injured, I’ll do everything I can to get back as soon as I can, with still being safe at the same time.”
While the Lakers have done a tremendous job of winning without Reaves, his on-court play is sorely missed.
The Lakers have struggled to score past 100 points in each game and have had to grind out victories against a Rockets team that is equally shorthanded, with Kevin Durant missing three of the four contests.
Reaves’ return gives them back their starting guard and will provide an injection of offense and an elite ball handler to the rotation.
Whether he’ll play or not in Game 5 will depend on how he feels on Wednesday morning. The key is for Reaves to feel good and not be at further risk of injuring himself by playing in this matchup.
“Everybody’s on the same page here,” Reaves said. “Everything from the get-go has been a group effort. The main thing is to get me back out there as fast as I can with not putting myself at risk to reinjure myself. So everybody’s been extremely positive through this whole process. We’re all working for one goal, and we’re doing everything we can.”
It’s been incredible and a credit to Reaves and the Lakers’ medical staff that he’s been able to get this close to returning so quickly. The optimistic expectation was four weeks, and if he plays on Wednesday, he’ll return before reaching that date.
He’s clearly done a ton of work during his recovery to reach this point. And while he’s been bummed having to watch these games, unable to impact winning, if things go well, that has come to an end, and Reaves will make his 2026 postseason debut in Game 5 with a chance to eliminate the Rockets and advance to the second round for the first time since 2023.
That would be a great reward for Reaves after all his efforts to return to play. Hopefully, that’s the timeline we are under, and he’ll suit up on Wednesday.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
