The Los Angeles Lakers will be without one of their stars for a little while. Guard Austin Reaves, who has been playing at an All-Star level and arguably a superstar level so far this season, was recently placed on the injured list due to a calf strain, and he’s expected to be re-evaluated in about a week.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he will return in one week, especially given how delicate calf strains can be and what they can lead to if not allowed to fully heal. Head coach JJ Redick said that Reaves started to notice the ailment on Tuesday, the day before L.A.’s Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinal round loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
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Redick also said the Lakers will be “cautious” with the injury.
“It’s hard to pinpoint the exact time during the game,” Redick said. “It started to tighten up the day before even though he did very light work intentionally. It’s just one of those things and we’re obviously going to be cautious with it.”
For evidence of why calf strains must be treated with a high level of caution, think back several years to the one Kevin Durant suffered during the second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, back when he was a member of the Golden State Warriors. He returned only a few weeks later during Game 5 of the NBA Finals as the Warriors chased a third straight world championship — and he promptly tore his Achilles.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: JJ Redick: Lakers will be ‘cautious’ with Austin Reaves’ injury