The moment that Lakers guard Austin Reaves strained his oblique, it didn’t look catastrophic. Not compared to his superstar teammate Luka Doncic. Reaves didn’t collapse to the ground dramatically. He didn’t limp off the floor or need to be carried by his teammates. He just reached back for a rebound as his body was still moving forward.
The Grade 2 oblique strain that Reaves sustained in the first half of the Lakers’ blowout loss to the Thunder last Thursday happened because a rebound that he was going for was tipped at the last second by Chet Holmgren; as Reaves reached back to grab it, his body twisted awkwardly.
A quick and subtle torque like that is all it takes to injure the muscles on the sides of your abdominal wall that run diagonally down from your lower ribs to your pelvis. The obliques consist of external obliques and deeper internal obliques. Both work together to control trunk rotation, lateral bending and core stability.
Reaves’ Grade 2 oblique strain means it’s a partial tear of those muscles. In his case, it’s on his lower left side where the muscle fibers anchor into the ribs. An injury to that area is very painful. You will feel it when you take a deep breath, cough, twist, turn or bend over to pick up something with your left hand.
Oblique injuries are on the rise in the NBA, and that’s because it’s the sport’s hidden engine. In basketball, the obliques generate rotational power, linking the ribs to the pelvis, transferring force from the lower body to the upper body. For Reaves, in particular, his game thrives on hesitation dribbles, change of pace and controlled collisions. His jump shot, his balance, even his ability to absorb contact while driving to the basket, all begin in the core.
Reaves is looking at a recovery window of three to five weeks for a Grade 2 oblique strain, with three weeks viewed as the minimum. If rib cartilage is involved, the healing can stretch closer to five weeks. Unfortunately for Reaves, this isn’t an injury like a sprained ankle that you can just tape up and play through it. It will demand rest and stillness.
According to Dr. Evan Jeffries, co-host of “The Hoops Rehab Show,” treatment for Reaves will likely include a carefully guided injection under ultrasound to help expedite healing. Paired with strict activity modification and pain management, the injury should heal on its own. The real battle for Reaves is patience.
“With Austin’s injury, it’s a pain tolerance thing,” Jeffries told The California Post. “Remember, Austin played through a toe injury last playoffs, so we know his pain threshold is high.”
Jeffries cautioned Reaves from rushing back, especially because there’s a 12% to 25% chance of reinjury. Every sprint, every jump, every twist will be felt by Reaves.
The Lakers’ LeBron James and Austin Reaves did not play Tuesday against the Thunder. Reaves is dealing with an oblique injury. NBAE via Getty Images The good news? Jeffries says long-term damage risk remains lower than what Doncic is dealing with for his injured hamstring.
“He has less of a long-term risk than Luka has,” Jeffries said. “The oblique could tear more. A full tear could require surgery, but that’s very rare. If he does tear it further, it would be a three-month recovery.”
Other NBA players like former Lakers champion Danny Green also sustained an oblique injury but played through it.
“I’ve had an oblique [injury] as well. I strained it in college [at UNC],” said Green on the “No Fouls Given” podcast. “I didn’t miss any time. I got a shot in that area and played in the Final Four with it. I couldn’t do much. We won, and then I sat out for the entire summer.”
If Reaves can play through the pain, he might be able to return sooner than Doncic, but with a potential free agency looming after the season — he has a player option — the Arkansas native has to determine if the risk outweighs the reward of returning.
And for a player wired like Reaves, staring at a potential max contract this summer, that might be the hardest part of all.
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