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As the postseason draws closer, the Los Angeles Lakers are seeing encouraging signs from Austin Reaves, who is rediscovering the form he showed at the start of the year, writes Melissa Rohlin of The California Post.

After missing time with a strained left calf and returning in early February, Reaves experienced a dip in scoring production, but he showed a far more assertive offensive approach in Sunday’s win over the New York Knicks.

He actively hunted his shot throughout the game and finished with 25 points, marking only the third occasion in his past 15 games that he has topped the 20-point threshold.

Head coach JJ Redick said the team’s focus has been on encouraging Reaves to trust his instincts and avoid becoming overly cautious after returning to action.

“I think the messaging to him has just been to be himself,” coach JJ Redick said.

“And I think sometimes when you miss time and there’s circumstances going on with the team that you can kind of be a little passive. … We want him to be aggressive. Every time he gets the ball, we want him to be aggressive and have a mentality to touch the paint.”

Earlier in the season, Reaves performed at a level worthy of All-Star consideration and looked poised to justify the lucrative five-year, $241 million contract he could pursue this summer if he declines his $14.9 million player option, which many expect him to do.

If he regains that early-season rhythm, Los Angeles will have the offensive versatility needed to seriously challenge the top teams in the Western Conference.

“Have fun,” he explained to reporters about his approach to the Sunday afternoon contest.

“Woke up, early game, I was tired when I got here. I just told myself to have fun. I don’t feel like I’ve played bad, I just haven’t made a lot of shots. I feel like I’ve done a lot of other things well. Just continuing to play the game the right way, and I feel like good will come to good.”

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