NEW YORK — For the past six weeks, Austin Reeves has been working his way back onto the court after dealing with a strained left calf sustained during a game against the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day. It hasn’t just been about getting healthy; he’s also been battling boredom.
“Sitting on the bench sucks,” Reeves remarked. “For a month and a half, I was just yelling at the refs. That’s not fun. I’d rather be on the court doing that.” His comeback happened in the Lakers’ recent 125-109 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, where he finally got to vocalize his frustrations with officials as he prefers.
“It’s refreshing to be back out there, running around, feeling the energy, and playing the game I enjoy,” he added.
With their win on Tuesday, the Lakers wrapped up their “Grammy” trip with a solid 5-3 record, bringing their overall season record to 30-19.
The Lakers took a cautious approach with Reeves, who missed 22 of 24 games due to a left calf injury. Initially, he had missed three games in mid-December due to a strain but unfortunately suffered a more serious injury upon his return.
He was deemed questionable for the two previous games, including Friday’s win against the Wizards and Sunday’s loss to the Knicks, but ultimately sat out.
“I wanted to make sure I was 100 percent,” Reeves said. “I was hoping to play against the Knicks. I love playing there. I really wished I could have helped out. But I just felt off. When I woke up Tuesday, I felt great and was excited to try playing.”
Come this summer, Reeves could find himself as an unrestricted free agent. He’s set for a significant salary increase from his current $13.9 million, potentially tripling it for the 2026-2027 season.
“The players are under a lot of pressure because of contracts and the trade deadline,” Coach JJ Reddick commented. “Austin is definitely going to see a nice pay bump. Having confidence in your physical ability is huge.”
In his first game back, Reeves’ statistics were modest compared to his prior All-Star level: 15 points on 3-of-9 shooting (including 8-of-10 from the free-throw line), along with four rebounds, two steals, and one assist during 21 minutes of play. He came off the bench, with his time on the court limited due to his extended absence.
Still, there were flashes of what he brought to the team before the injury. He showed good movement and had several promising opportunities in the first half without getting discouraged, while effectively attacking the basket.
One standout moment occurred in the second half when the Lakers began taking control. After Luka Doncic found himself trapped by Brooklyn defenders, he passed to Louie Hammura, initiating a 4-on-3 advantage for the Lakers. The ball ended up in Reeves’ hands in the left corner, and despite a defensive lapse from Brooklyn guard Egor Demin, he aggressively drove to the basket, completing a tough finish over Nolan Traore, demonstrating increased strength since his injury.
“He got stronger over the summer,” Reddick noted about Reeves. “We’ve seen the benefits of that early in the season, and our performance team has been focusing on making him even stronger over the past six weeks.”
This play illustrated how Reeves complements LeBron James and Doncic, contributing to the Lakers’ ambitions of becoming the explosive offense they aimed for when building their roster over the summer.
“We’ll be tougher to defend than before,” Jake LaRabia expressed. “Austin adds a lot of scoring potential, and we’ve had games where that was a struggle. With him back, he demands attention from the defense, which bodes well for us.”
