Austin Reaves Returns for Lakers Preseason Debut, Praises New Teammates

Austin Reaves made his preseason debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, marking his return to the court after a minor ankle injury sustained in practice last week. The guard played 25 minutes in the Lakers' 114-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena, contributing 8 assists and 5 rebounds while shooting 2-for-7 from the field.

Coach JJ Redick indicated that Reaves could have potentially played in earlier preseason games but noted there was no need to rush his return given the remaining time before the regular season begins. "There was a chance he might be able to play in either of those games in Northern California," Redick said. "We knew it’d be sometime this week."

Reaves, who re-signed with the Lakers on a four-year, $180 million contract this past offseason, expressed his excitement about his new teammates. "They were awesome," Reaves said. "Matisse has been great, Mamu was great, Jake’s been really good. Could go down the list. Very excited with what we have."

The game provided a glimpse of the Lakers' backcourt with Reaves alongside superstar guard Luka Doncic, and also featured Reaves sharing the court with several new teammates including Quentin Grimes, Kevon Looney, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Matisse Thybulle.

The Lakers are looking to finalize their roster and build chemistry in the remaining preseason games. Players like Ziaire Williams, Walker Kessler, and Collin Sexton are still working to join the team on the court. Redick confirmed that Kessler, a significant free-agency acquisition, will play in the preseason and expressed confidence that Sexton will be ready for the regular-season opener.

The team has two more preseason matchups: Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas and Oct. 16 against the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles. Reaves emphasized the importance of chemistry and defensive pressure as the team prepares for the upcoming regular season.