Lakers' Austin Reaves Receives New Expected Return Date for Calf Strain

Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick signals a play beside guard Austin Reaves (15) during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images | Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

At the halfway point of the NBA regular season, injuries can start piling up for every team in the league, with 41 or more games in the books and the grind of the season beginning to take its toll. The Los Angeles Lakers have not been exempt from this, as they have dealt with several injuries to key players throughout the 2025-26 campaign.

Rising star Austin Reaves is the one notable player on the squad who has been on the mend for quite some time, as he hasn't played since suffering a calf strain on Christmas Day against the Houston Rockets. The team announced that Reaves would miss at least four weeks before being re-evaluated, and that timeline is about to expire.

JJ Redick Reveals When Lakers' Austin Reaves Will Return 

According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, ahead of Tuesday's game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena, Lakers head coach JJ Redick gave a promising update on Reaves' status as the team gets its eight-game road trip underway in the Mile High City.

JJ Redick says Austin Reaves is “progressing well” and will return to the lineup sometime during the Lakers’ 8-game road trip. Some good news for the Lakers, who have been without Reaves because of a left calf strain since Christmas.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 21, 2026

After Tuesday's game in Denver, the Lakers will take on division rival Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome on Thurs. Jan. 22, which will be four weeks after Reaves is expected to be re-evaluated. This doesn't mean Reaves will suit up on Thursday, but if Redick is confident the 27-year-old will return during this long road trip, there's a chance the Lakers guard returns to take on Kawhi Leonard and company before the team heads to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks on Sat. Jan. 24. 

Regardless of when Reaves returns during this eight-game road trip, the return of the University of Oklahoma product is a step in the right direction and makes the Lakers that much more dynamic offensively, taking the scoring load off superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

Reaves is having the best year of his NBA career, averaging career-best averages in points (26.6), rebounds (5.2) and assists (6.3).