Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Austin Reaves Practice Video Emerges After Lakers Injury Update

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Apr 15, 2026 7:51 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers kick off their NBA playoffs campaign on Saturday against the Houston Rockets. L.A. will host Game 1 of this opening-round best-of-seven series at Crypto.com Arena.

At this point, however, there is serious doubt about Austin Reaves’ availability for the series. The 27-year-old was diagnosed with a Grade 2 left oblique muscle injury and was previously shut down for the remainder of the regular season.

On Tuesday, Lakers head coach JJ Redick said that Reaves remains out indefinitely and that there is no firm timetable for his return. This is also the case for Luka Doncic, who is out with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

There was an encouraging development on Reaves on Wednesday, though. The 6-foot-5 guard was spotted in practice putting up shots along with the rest of his Lakers teammates.

According to reporter Michael J. Duarte, Reaves was wearing slides in practice on Tuesday. However, he decided to put on a pair of sneakers for Wednesday’s practice to shoot some threes and free throws.

Austin Reaves (oblique strain) laced up his sneakers today and shot free throws after practice again. He was in slides yesterday. pic.twitter.com/GZmXLcDupW
— Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) April 15, 2026

While this is a welcome development regarding Reaves’ road to recovery, it is important to note that there is no guarantee he will be ready for the first round of the NBA playoffs. There is hope, though.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Reaves will miss at least one more week. This means that he will not be available for Game 1 on Saturday and Game 2 on Tuesday. Based on this update, the soonest Reaves could return is Game 3 in Houston on April 24.

Reaves is having his best year for the Lakers. In 51 games played during the regular season, the fifth-year shooting guard averaged a career-high 23.3 points on 49.0% shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.3 triples in 34.5 minutes per contest.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: