Lately, Austin Reaves had been a muted version of himself.
He opened the season playing All-Star-caliber basketball, looking like a breakout star. But after suffering a left calf strain that sidelined him for 19 games, the volume on his incredible start has been dialed down.
That changed in theLakers’ 110-97 winover the Knicks on Sunday.
Reaves had 25 points on 50% shooting, including going 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. He was aggressive. He was hunting for the ball. He was looking for his shot. It led to arguably the best Lakers win this season and their fifth victory in their last six contests.
The Lakers needed Reaves in peak form against a team with the third-best record in the East, especially withLeBron Jamessidelined for his second straight game because of a left elbow contusion and left foot arthritis.
Before Reaves’ extended absence, he was averaging 26.6 points on 50.7% shooting from the field, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds a game. He was one of the NBA’s top 10 scorers.
But since he returned Feb. 3, he has only scored 20-plus points three times over 15 contests.
One of the biggest issues has clearly been that Reaves is trying to find his place in a crowded offense alongside superstars James and Luka Doncic. Before the All-Star break, the trio had only played 11 games together.
Since then, they’ve been trying to find a rhythm after James missed the first 14 games of the season because of sciatica, Reaves missed every game in January and Doncic was sidelined four games at the beginning of February because of a hamstring injury.
As the Big 3 has tried to learn how to effectively share the court, Reaves has looked a little less like Reaves.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
