JJ Redick on when Austin Reaves will return for the Lakers

Story byRobert Marvi, LeBron WireWed, January 21, 2026 at 2:29 AM UTC·1 min readThe Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling over the last several weeks, as they have lost 12 of their last 22 games and fallen hard in the Western Conference standings. While the biggest reason for their struggles has been their lackluster defense, another factor has been the absence of Austin Reaves. Reaves has been sidelined since late December due to a gastrocnemius strain, and prior to that injury, he was arguably playing at a superstar level. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Lakers start an eight-game road trip on Tuesday, and coach JJ Redick said that the guard is "progressing well" and will return to action at some point during this trip. This road trip will end on Feb. 3 against the Brooklyn Nets, which will give Reaves plenty of time to prepare to be back in the team's lineup. He's averaging 26.6 points and 6.3 assists per game while shooting 50.7% from the field and 36.5% from 3-point range so far this season.