Your Los Angeles Lakers have been sorely missing their two best wings, 6'4" starting shooting guard/small forward Lonnie Walker IV and 6'5" reserve guard Austin Reaves, who have both been shelved for several weeks. Walker has missed 14 games due to lingering left knee tendinitis, while Reaves has been unavailable for 11 contests with a strained left hamstring.
Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register reports that LA is set to reassess the health statuses of both Walker and Reaves today, ahead of the Lakers' impending five-game road trip, which kicks off tomorrow against the Boston Celtics.
The Lakers will face off against five straight solid playoff teams on this jaunt, against whom LA sure could use Walker and Reaves: the Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and New Orleans Pelicans.
Walker, signed to a one-year, $6.5 million contract during the 2022 offseason, is averaging 14.7 points on .455/.384/.875 shooting splits (all a career high), 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals a night.
Reaves, on a minimum deal, is averaging 10.8 points on .488/.360/.896 (also all career highs, albeit in just two seasons to Walker's four), 3.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists for LA.
In their absence, the Lakers have leaned more on rookie shooting guard Max Christie, plus reserve forwards Troy Brown Jr. and Juan Toscano-Anderson.
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