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Austin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers and head coach JJ Redick

No question, the Lakers are in just about as good a position as possible heading into Game 5 of their first-round series against the Rockets on Wednesday. They lead, 3-1, a remarkable result for a team playing without stars Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. The feeling, generally, had been that once it was clear the Lakers’ leading scorers could miss the series–or, at least, the opening games of the series–the team would find it impossible to hang with Houston.

Instead, the Lakers control the showdown as they had back to Los Angeles for Game 5 at Crypto.com Arena. And what’s even more encouraging is that they appear on track to get Reaves back on the floor, 27 days after he injured his oblique muscles. Reaves was averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds before he was injured, while shooting 49.0% from the field.

It was obvious in the Lakers’ flaccid loss to Houston in Game 4 that the team needed a boost in both scoring and playmaking, and that’s where Reaves is expected to ride to the rescue, assuming he plays.

Lakers Should Have Concerns About Austin Reaves Playing Too Much

But there is concern about Reaves getting back on the floor for the Lakers after nearly a month off–he is not getting thrown back into the mix in a January game against the Wizards here. It’s the playoffs, and an elimination game, no less.

As one Western Conference scout pointed out, players almost always need a game to kick off rust, similar to what the Sixers’ Joel Embiid did when returning on Sunday, when he had a poor showing before dominating against Boston on Wednesday.

“Look, you need Austin Reaves if you are the Lakers and you’re going to go anywhere,” the scout said. “But what scares you is that he is coming in cold and they’ve had their rhythm, they’ve found something that works. Obviously, if he plays he is going to start, and that’s fine, but I think you have to be ready for Luke (Kennard) to get right back in there and play big minutes if you can tell Austin doesn’t have it.

“That’s true especially on the defensive end. The Lakers have done well in shutting down the paint and closing off passing lanes. If Austin is not there yet, you have to limit him. All this stuff, they’re tough decisions for JJ Redick.”

‘Been Pretty Miserable’

As for Reaves, he knows he should not return if he is not 100% and if he is not going to help the Lakers. He has tried to get back as quickly as possible, but given the fact that the Lakers are not in a desperate situation, he won’t rush.

But he did say on Tuesday that he’s been pretty unhappy sitting on the bench.

“I’ve been pretty miserable,” he said. “Not having somewhat of a control on a game. Just sitting over there—not no hope in the game, no hope that I can affect the game. Obviously, I can talk and try to lead from being over there but not really being on the court. It sucks. I think we’ve seen in the past with my injuries I will do everything I can to get back as soon as I can with, you know, still being safe at the same time.”