In a way, it may have been a good thing that the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. In that game, LeBron James collided with Donte DiVincenzo and sustained a sprained MCL that will take several weeks to heal.
While every rotation player was available to play for the Lakers in that series, they weren’t 100%. Starting forward Rui Hachimura was dealing with a case of patellar tendonitis starting in late February that caused him to miss several weeks. Once he returned, he said he wouldn’t be 100% until the offseason when he gets a chance to rest and heal.
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In addition, it has been revealed that guard Austin Reaves was also dealing with an ailment lately.
Perhaps that big toe sprain may have been a factor in Reaves’ subpar play versus Minnesota. In that series, he averaged 16.2 points a game and shot just 41.1% from the field and 31.9% from 3-point range, and he reached the 20-point mark just once while totaling only five free throw attempts.
During the regular season, he had put up 20.2 points per game on 46% overall shooting and 37.7% from downtown, and he had finished the schedule on a tear.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Austin Reaves reportedly played on an injury during the playoffs