Austin Reaves out at least a week for Lakers with calf strain

Austin Reaves’ breakout season is going to be paused for at least seven days.

The Los Angeles Lakers guard is out with a mild left calf strain and will be re-evaluated in one week, according to team reporter Mike Trudell.

L.A. has two games in the next week: road games against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday and Utah Jazz on Tuesday. If Reaves is not ready to return in the minimum timeframe, he would miss a game against the Los Angeles Clippers next Saturday as well.

The Lakers’ season has mostly been defined by outrageous numbers for Luka Dončić and, until recently, the absence of LeBron James, but Reaves has made a strong case as a true star in 21 games. He’s averaging career highs across the board with 27.9 points, 6.7 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, and he’s actually the team leader in win shares according to Basketball Reference.

He set a career high in points with 51 in October, while Dončić and James were both absent.

Those contributions have helped the Lakers begin the season with a 17-7 record, tied for fourth in the Western Conference. However, they came up short in NBA Cup action Wednesday with a 132-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

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