Add Austin Reaves to the list of Lakers who were dealing with an injury for the Lakers during the playoffs.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the Lakers lost in Game 5 against the Wolves.
While it was frustrating, disappointing and surprising, it also likely prevented an inevitable ending from dragging on. Not long after Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported that LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in the fourth quarter of the defeat, Dan Woike of the LA Times also added that Austin Reaves was dealing with a toe injury.
Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation provided more insight that it was a big toe injury that was limiting what he could do during off days.
Between James’ knee injury, Luka Doncic’s back injury and an unreported multi-week toe injury Austin Reaves was playing through in the final two games of the series, the Lakers would’ve been pretty banged up if they had forced a Game 6.. https://t.co/TdNvzLnkxs
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) May 2, 2025
Can confirm that Austin Reaves was dealing with a left big toe sprain during the Playoffs. Was considered to be a 2-4 week injury but he gutted it out. I’m told Reaves was not walking on it on off days to try to get through the playoffs.
— Trevor Lane (@Trevor_Lane) May 2, 2025
As Woike points out, to go along with Austin’s injury, LeBron’s injury would have ruled him out entirely while Luka Dončić was clearly hampered by a back injury that was aggravated during the first half of the game.
There was just no playoff run coming from this team this season.
For Austin, the toe sprain would go at least some way in explaining his incredibly poor performance in the series. Over the five games, he averaged 16.2 points on 41.1% shooting from the field and 31.9% shooting from the 3-point line.
After averaging over 20 points on efficient shooting during the regular season, Reaves was far from effective in the playoffs and, more often than not, was a non-factor in games.
Not revealing these injuries until after the playoffs are over is often looked at by fans as making some excuse after losing. Really, it’s a no-win scenario. If they reveal it during the playoffs, they become a target of opponents.
Like LeBron, this isn’t an injury that will change Austin’s plans for the summer. He’ll have time to rest and recuperate before returning to the court. It will, however, likely prevent him from playing golf for a few weeks, which might really be difficult.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.