Lakers guard Austin Reaves has been upgraded to available for Tuesday’s game against Phoenix, the team confirmed in its latest injury report.
Reaves hasn’t played since December 10 due to a left calf strain. Although his absence has spanned nearly two weeks, the standout guard has only missed three games during that time, with the Lakers playing a very light schedule in mid-December. The team went 2-1 during his absence.
Reaves, 27, is in the midst of a career year. In his first 21 games (all starts), he averaged 27.8 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per night, with an excellent .503/.369/.875 shooting line. He and Luka Doncic, who is averaging a league-best 34.1 points per game, have been the NBA’s most productive backcourt when healthy, though Doncic isn’t currently healthy, having been ruled out for Tuesday’s game due to a lower left leg contusion.
Although he has had a pair of three-game injury absences so far in 2025/26, Reaves is still well positioned to reach the 65-game requirement for end-of-season award eligibility, and it’s not out of the question that he could earn consideration for certain honors – including Most Improved Player – if he continues to perform like he has in the first two months of the season.
Reaves is also playing for his next contract. He’ll almost certainly turn down his $14.9MM player option for 2026/27 and sign a new deal as an unrestricted free agent next summer. Our Rory Maher explored what that contract might look like in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors mailbag.