Former back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Steve Nash is not sure if Austin Reaves’ return from injury is enough to lift the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Reaves suffered a Grade 2 left oblique strain during the tail end of the regular season. He was sidelined for a month, missing the final five games of the regular season and the first five games of L.A.’s first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
Reaves came back to help the Lakers close out the Rockets in Game 6. However, he struggled in their Game 1 loss to OKC on Tuesday, shooting 3-of-16 for eight points.
Nash is now questioning Reaves’ impact on this series. According to the eight-time All-Star, not even a healthy Reaves could be enough to influence the Lakers’ chances against the defending champions.
"I think this Austin Reaves situation, it's going to be difficult for him,” Nash said on Prime Video’s pregame show. “He's playing the best defense in the league. He's been out four, five weeks. Even if he goes 5-of-5, they still lose.
“They're 15-point [underdogs] every night. … The Lakers I thought they played well but they're just not as good as OKC."
Reaves is the Lakers’ second top scorer behind Luka Doncic, who is still out with a hamstring injury. In the regular season, Reaves averaged a career-high 23.3 points on 49.0% shooting.
Nash has a history with the Lakers. The Hall of Fame point guard suited up for L.A. in the final three seasons of his decorated 19-year NBA career.
Nash did not find success with the Lakers despite forming a superteam alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
L.A. got swept in the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs. The following season, they missed the playoffs entirely after finishing with a 27-55 record.
Nash retired in 2015 after missing the entire season due to injury.
