Why is Austin Reaves not playing vs Bucks? Looking at Lakers guard's absence from team lineup in preseason game

The LA Lakers will face the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday in their third preseason game. The team released its lineup, which does not include guard Austin Reaves. This will be the first preseason game Reaves misses as he deals with an injury.

ESPN's Lakers insider Dave McMenamin reported that Reaves is dealing with ankle soreness. McMenamin added that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

Gabe Vincent, Max Christie, Cam Reddish and Jordan Goodwin will be on a minutes restriction tonight.

Reaves played in the Lakers' first two preseason games. In their opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard logged 24 minutes. He struggled from the field, finishing with 16 points on 2-of-9 shooting, but made the most of his trips to the free-throw line, hitting all 10 attempts.

Against the Phoenix Suns, Reaves played 28 minutes. The story was the same as he struggled to make shots. The Lakers guard shot 2-10 from the field and had nine points.

---

Lakers coach commends Austin Reaves' defense

Austin Reaves isn't known to be a lockdown defender. However, he can hold his own on the defensive end, and coach JJ Redick has noticed that.

One of the things that caught his attention was Reaves' defensive skills. During Tuesday's team practice, Redick spoke highly of the guard's defense.

"I never thought he was a chump defensively, but he competes his a** off on that end," Redick said. "He knows what he’s supposed to do. He’s in the right spots. If he’s supposed to veer, he veers. If he’s supposed to be the low man, he’s the low man. If he’s supposed to be at the nail, he’s at the nail. He just does a lot of really good things on the basketball floor."

Reaves wrapped his third NBA season on a high note. He showed improvement on the floor last season, averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Basketball Reference predicts he'll increase his point production for the Lakers this season and average 17.2 points.