Lakers' JJ Redick Announces Austin Reaves' Status for Warriors Preseason Rematch

Apr 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA: Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Second-year Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick has already revealed shooting guard Austin Reaves' status ahead of a Golden State preseason rematch.

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Per Lakers insider Jovan Buha of "Buha's Block," Redick has indicated that Reaves will suit up against the Warriors for Sunday's tilt. The matchup is slated to tip off at 6:30 p.m. PT in Crypto.com Arena.

Austin Reaves will play tomorrow vs. Golden State, per JJ Redick.

— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 11, 2025

A week ago in San Francisco's Chase Center, all three of LA's best players — five-time All-NBA First Team guard Luka Doncic, 21-time All-NBA power forward LeBron James, and Reaves — sat out a 111-103 defeat to the Warriors.

Doncic, who played over the summer for his native Slovenia in the EuroBasket competition, has been rested for the entirety of LA's preseason slate so far.

His status for Sunday's action remains up-in-the-air, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

JJ Redick said that it is TBD whether Luka Doncic will play in the Lakers' preseason game vs. GSW on Sunday -- which will begin a stretch of 3 preseason games in 4 days for LAL (yes, you read that right) -- but said Doncic will play in 2 of the Lakers' 4 remaining games

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 11, 2025

James has been suffering with a long-term sciatica issue on his right side, and will be reassessed after the first one or two weeks of the 2025-26 regular season.

Reaves, who scored 20 points in a 103-81 preseason opener loss to the Phoenix Suns, also sat out that subsequent Warriors game.

Last week, Gabe Vincent chipped in 16 points to pace Los Angeles against Golden State.

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With Reaves now back in the fold and James (along with, possibly, Doncic) sitting, look for the keys to the offense to be fully in the fifth-year guard's hands.

The 6-foot-5 Oklahoma product enjoyed his most prolific pro season ever last year for the 50-32 Lakers, despite grappling with ample roster churn before and after LA's blockbuster Doncic trade.

Reaves' Growing Offensive Role

In 73 healthy games (all starts) for Los Angeles during the 2024-25 season, Reaves averaged 20.2 points while slashing .460/.377/.877, 5.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals a night. His numbers during the playoffs, however, regressed to the kind of output he's had in each of the last three seasons.

He averaged 16.2 points on .411/.319/.857 shooting splits, 5.4 boards, 3.6 dimes and 0.6 rejections in LA's brisk five-game playoff defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves. For his playoff career, he boasts averages of 16.7 points on .455/.379/.892 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 dimes and 0.7 steals.

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