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Austin Reaves Out 4-6 Weeks — Lakers Depth Crisis Deepens

The Lakers' injury report is starting to look like a phone book.

Austin Reaves is the latest casualty — out 4-6 weeks with an oblique injury suffered over the weekend. That timeline puts his return squarely in the middle of a potential first-round series, assuming LA even survives that long.

Let's count the bodies: Luka Doncic is in Spain rehabbing a Grade 2 hamstring. LeBron James is being rested down the stretch. Marcus Smart and Jaxson Hayes are already sidelined. And now Reaves — the glue guy, the third star, the player who made this whole thing work — is gone too.

JJ Redick went viral Monday for getting into a heated exchange with Jarred Vanderbilt on the bench after yanking him 16 seconds into the second quarter. Devin Booker-less Lakers got blown out by 36 against OKC. This is a team that was built to contend, and right now they can barely field a competitive roster. The 4-seed is still theirs, but for how long?