Lakers News: Austin Reaves Happy To Be Back In Action Despite Loss To Timberwolves

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The Los Angeles Lakers got some much-needed rest and recovery time this week as they had four days off before their road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Head coach JJ Redick has had to deal with a shortened rotation with several players missing and acknowledged that the break was used for recovery rather than practicing. The time off helped Austin Reaves get back to full health after missing the past five games due to a pelvic injury he suffered against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Los Angeles’ offense sputtered without Reaves on the floor because he gives the team an extra ball handler and shot creator. Reaves was able to return against Minnesota, though his presence wasn’t enough to overcome LeBron James’ absence and the team wound up losing.

After the game, Reaves discussed how he felt back on the floor, via Spectrum SportsNet:

“It felt good. First five minutes I was winded, but it felt really good. I was very happy to be back out there competing. Upset that we didn’t get the win, but very pleased with how I felt.”

Reaves also discussed how much of a benefit it was to get some time off, although it did lead to a little rust:

“I think it’s a little bit of both. I think it’s good and, I wouldn’t say bad, it’s always good to constantly get rehab, not just on whatever injury you have but trying to make yourself feel tip-top shape in every aspect. But the bad part about it is you don’t play as much basketball. I didn’t get many days to really be on the court and play before tonight just because with the injury I had, it was really tough to be on the court for the first week or so with the discomfort that I had… But like I said, I was really pleased with how I felt and how I played other than a couple turnovers, a couple missed bunnies. But other than that I thought I was solid and felt really good.”

The Lakers struggled to take care of the ball, especially in the first quarter when they had 11 turnovers. Reaves felt that started with his play:

“I felt that the first quarter was my fault, not having us organized. Not being on the court the last two weeks I thought left a little indecision in my mind with some stuff we could’ve been doing. So I gotta be better there. But I thought after that, we were very solid. Obviously a turnover here and there and a couple missed box outs on free throws. Those are really big plays so I’ll watch film, I’ll get better and like I said, I’ll see what I can do to help us be better in that aspect and put the team in good positions to be successful.”

Given that Reaves had extended time away from the court, it wasn’t a surprise to see him struggle to open the game against the Timberwolves. Reaves missed a couple of shots near the rim and had trouble with the basketball, but seemed to find his offensive rhythm as the night went on.

The most encouraging thing about Reaves is that he looked fully healthy in his minutes and appeared to be moving normally. While he wasn’t very efficient from the floor, he still contributed 18 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. He drained four of his eight attempts from three, including a couple in the second half that got Los Angeles within striking distance.

Unfortunately, Minnesota’s defense proved to be too much as they swarmed the purple and gold in the half court and forced them into some tough shots. Without James, Anthony Davis and Reaves had their hands full trying to generate any solid looks and that ultimately led to a low-scoring performance.

As of now, it’s unknown when James will make his return so Redick will need to lean even more on Davis and Reaves offensively. Reaves has shown he can handle more scoring responsibility, but one or two more players will need to step up to give the Lakers a shot at winning.

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