The Los Angeles Lakers will be without guards Lonnie Walker IV and Austin Reaves for at least the next two weeks.
Reaves is dealing with a left hamstring strain while Walker has left knee tendinitis. The Lakers are planning to re-evaluate both players in approximately two weeks.
Medical update from the Lakers:
Austin Reaves has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks.
Lonnie Walker IV has been diagnosed with left knee tendinitis and will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 6, 2023
This is a massive blow for Los Angeles, as both Walker and Reaves have been key pieces in the team’s rotation this season.
The Lakers have reportedly been working on a 10-day deal for wing Sterling Brown, which makes a lot more sense now that Reaves and Walker are both going to be sidelined.
Walker has been a nice addition for the Lakers this season. The team signed him in the offseason after he spent the first four years of his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs.
The athletic guard is averaging 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 38.4 percent from beyond the arc. He’s been one of the team’s more reliable scorers after LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Reaves, who is in his second NBA season, has really come into his own, being used mainly in a bench role. He’s shooting 36.0 percent from beyond the arc (up from 31.7 percent last season) and 48.8 percent from the field while averaging 10.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Replacing either player won’t be easy, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Brown get a crack at some of the minutes that Reaves and Walker usually play.
With Davis currently sidelined due to a stress injury in his right foot, the Lakers are in a tough spot now that two more rotation players are out.
Russell Westbrook and James are going to have to take on even bigger roles for the team if it wants to stay in contention for a playoff spot.
Right now, the Lakers are the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference, but they are just 1.5 games behind the Utah Jazz for the final spot in the league’s play-in tournament.
Hopefully, Reaves and Walker will be able to return to the court shortly after they are re-evaluated.
