Austin Reaves return will provide answer to Lakers biggest problem

For Austin Reaves and the Lakers, the path ahead isn’t uncharted territory. It was less than three months ago when Reaves returned to the court after a month-plus absence due to a calf strain.It took a few weeks for Reaves’ individual production to return to pre-injury levels, but his impact on the offense was immediately felt. That’ll likely be the case again as Reaves works his way back from a Grade 2 left oblique strain that sidelined him for nearly a month after suffering the injury during the loss to the Thunder on April 2.As competitive as Reaves is, the Lakers’ competitive spirit hasn’t diminished during the period he and fellow star guard Luka Doncic (left hamstring strain) were sidelined, evident by the 3-2 record they closed the regular season and 3-1 lead they had in their first round playoff series against the Rockets entering Wednesday’s Game 5. “I don’t think we’ve been missing competitive spirit, because we’ve had it for a couple of weeks with this group,” coach JJ Redick said.“He certainly adds to that.

That’s what he brings every night.Then there is the basketball portion.”Reaves’ reemergence into the Lakers’ lineup will open up offensive possibilities that were essentially closed when Doncic and Reaves were both sidelined.With Doncic and Reaves in the lineup, the Lakers were one of the more prolific and efficient pick-and-roll teams in the NBA. They led the league in points per possession from pick-and-roll ball handlers during the regular season, with Doncic and Reaves at the forefront.But with the star guards sidelined, the Lakers leaned on off-ball actions significantly more within their offense to create scoring opportunities. The shift worked.The Lakers ended the regular season in a solid place offensively, which carried over into their playoff series against the Rockets.They had a good offensive rating in their Game 1 victory over the Rockets (115.2 points per 100 possessions) and a solid one in the Game...