Lakers News: Austin Reaves Provides Update On His Recovery From Hamstring Injury

LA sure could use his defense.

A left hamstring strain has kept Los Angeles Lakers reserve shooting guard Austin Reaves, one of the team's better perimeter defenders, sidelined for LA's last 11 contests. 

On Tuesday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic caught up with Reaves to get a mild update on his recovery. The 6'5" swingman was fairly noncommittal when it came to defining exactly when he would be back in the purple and gold.

“We’re going forward, moving forward,” Reaves noted of his rehabilitation efforts. “Progress. Feeling good.” 

When pressed for a return timeline, he said simply, "Soon."

Across his 36 healthy games (including 12 starts), the second-year swingman out of the University of Oklahoma is averaging 10.8 points on .488/.360/.896 shooting splits, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.6 steals in 28.9 minutes a night for LA.

Reaves has been playing so well on both sides of the ball that he has gotten some All-Star attention from overexcited LA fans (he's not even his own team's best bench guard!). 

Earlier this season, Buha indicated that Reaves, soon to be a free agent, seems to be in line for a major salary bump this summer. Will LA retain him? It might behoove him to get back onto the hardwood some time soon to help convince his incumbent club to keep him around next year.