What Happened to Austin Reaves? Lakers Star Wobbles to Locker Room After Hard Fall in Collision with Isaiah Hartenstein

Nothing is going the Lakers‘ way anymore! With already Jaxson Hayes ruled out ahead of the game, the team has yet another injury scare. The team’s trusted guard, Austin Reaves, took a scary fall straight on his back on an offensive play. Moreover, Coach JJ Redick exposed the team’s desperation with an uncanny move amid Reaves’ painful moments on the court.

With 3:30 minutes left in the first half, the HillBilly Kobe ran up the lane for a layup, but he collided badly with Thunder‘s Isaiah Hartenstein on his way up. Following that, he took a massive fall to the floor straight on his back. However, he struggled to get on his feet to throw two free throws.

When everyone expected him to get off the floor after the free throws, he remained on the floor. In fact, in the very next defensive, the star, who was moving differently, hinted at Redick to get him off the floor. Surprisingly, the 40-year-old remained unfazed. And exactly a minute later, Reaves checked himself out and made his way to the locker room. As of now, there isn’t any update on the severity of the injury.

The ESPN reporter, who covered the event from the sidelines, said, “After shooting those free throws, he wanted to go again on the defensive end and after that series, he pointed at JJ Redick and said, ‘I need to come out. He pointed a couple of times before he took that three… As soon as he was subbed out, he went straight to the tunnel.” So, JJ Redick’s act of risking his player’s fitness hinted at the team’s desperation.

Will Austin Reaves’ injury add to the team’s growing concern?

Minutes after Austin Reaves’s fall, LeBron James took an ugly fall during a defensive possession. The superstar remained on the floor for a while and this time, Redick had to call a quick timeout to check if he was okay. Fortunately, Bron stood up himself and continued with the action. Looks like the coach has learned his lesson.

The team hasn’t had a great day, in terms of managing its players. Jaxson Hayes, who missed 6-straight games, has again fallen into injury trouble. The young center’s premature return from injury has aggravated his ankle issue. So, it will lead to an extended delay in filling the void in the backup center role. Guess what? It will increase the weight on Anthony Davis‘ shoulder.

Moreover, it will further affect the team’s defense, owing to the taxing minutes that AD has to take care of. Nevertheless, the team only has a positive update with Austin Reaves. The star guard returned to the floor after the first-half break and checked back into the game. Tonight’s game has been an intense match-up. The Lakers have put up a strong fight to keep the team on the hunt to steal the win against the top-seeded team. Will the Lakers win tonight? Let us know in the comments.