Lakers’ Austin Reaves given injury recovery timeline
The Los Angeles Lakers star recently injured his calf; he now knows the extent of the issue.
Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves has unwillingly become one of numerous pebbles stuck in between the cogs of their season. In the aftermath of the Christmas Day loss to the Houston Rockets, the 27-year-old underwent an MRI scan on a sore left leg and the results returned with a Grade 2 gastrocnemius strain.
The franchise subsequently said that the player would be out for over four weeks.
Reaves recently missed three games because of a mild calf strain in his left leg, which reports are not linking to his current issue.
BREAKING: AUSTIN REAVES IS OUT INDEFINITELY AND WILL BE REEVALUATED IN 4 WEEKS
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 27, 2025
pic.twitter.com/HE8oYiRKHO
“Calves are dangerous, so take your time”
“Austin clearly felt something,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the game. “We did our normal halftime, and then as we were walking out of the locker room, [Lakers director of player performance and health] Dr. [LeRoy] Sims told me he was out.”
Teammate Luka Doncic knows what it is like to go through recovery on a calf issue, and urged caution for Reaves in his rehabilitation: “I know how it is to go through a calf injury,” Doncic said. “It’s not fun at all. [I will] just be there to support him. Take your time. Calves are dangerous, so take your time.”
Reaves’ impact will be sorely missed. Before coming off in the first half of the game against the Rockets, he had scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting in 15 minutes. In more general terms, Reaves is enjoying a career-best campaign, averaging personal bests in points (26.6), assists (6.3) and rebounds (5.2).
Speaking to BasketNews.com, injury analyst Jeff Stotts for SMART and Rotowire said that Reaves could miss more time due to the injury: “The calf muscle complex is comprised of multiple muscles, including the two-headed gastrocnemius muscle and the soleus. The muscles share a conjoined tendon, the Achilles. The average time lost for all Grade 2 calf strains in the NBA is ~40.1 days,” Stotts said.
Austin Reaves was having an All-Star, All-NBA, hell, dark-horse MVP season before his injury.
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) December 27, 2025
The Lakers rushed him back, and now he'll be out at least a month in a contract year.
DEVESTATING IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT pic.twitter.com/z58c6fYjhV
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Amid rumours of disconnect in the locker room between the stars and a potential falling out between LeBron James and the Lakers’ coaching staff, the Lakers are not enjoying things this season. At present, they sit on a 19-10 record and occupy the fourth position in the Western Conference.
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