LA Lakers News: D’Angelo Russell Injured In Preseason Game
LA Lakers fans held their breath on Tuesday as D’Angelo Russell suffered an injury, perhaps signaling bad news for the team. Russell was injured as the Lakers played the Utah Jazz in an NBA preseason game Tuesday, October 6. A report from the Sporting News stated that it took place early in the game as he tried to defend against a player going hard to the basket.
Russell appeared to hit the ground hard on his tailbone and hip. He was down on the court for a few moments before being helped to the locker room for a medical check-up. An update from the team was that he suffered a “bruised glute” and that it isn’t considered to be too serious.
The good news is that the team is claiming that Russell would have been able to return to the court had this been a regular season game. Instead, the Lakers will take it easy on the rookie point guard and keep him off the court for the remainder of the second preseason game. It is not yet clear whether he will appear in the next one, but that is likely to come in a future update.
There have been a number of LA Lakers rumors this preseason about how the team will look when the season begins. Those include Kobe Bryant moving over to small forward in the starting lineup. That would allow D’Angelo Russell to be the starting point guard and Jordan Clarkson to start at shooting guard.
In the first half against the Utah Jazz, Clarkson played just over 14 minutes. He scored five points to go with two rebounds and an assist. Kobe Bryant was 4-for-8 from the field and 1-for-1 from the free throw line in the half. Bryant had 10 points and two rebounds to his credit. Before Russell got hurt, he hadn’t posted anything other than a personal foul in his stat line.
In the first Lakers’ preseason game, which also came against the Jazz on Sunday, October 4, the team lost 90-71. Russell finished with five points, shotting 2-for-8 from the field and 1-for-4 from three-point range. He also had three rebounds, three assists, two turnovers, and a steal in just over 21 minutes of time. The leading scorers for the Lakers were Lou Williams with 14 points and Nick Young with 10 points off the bench. Kobe Bryant was 1-for-5 from the field, finishing with five total points.
If the plan remains the same when the regular season begins, Russell, Clarkson, and Bryant will be joined by power forward Julius Randle and center Roy Hibbert in the starting lineup. During the preseason opener, Hibbert had three points and 10 rebounds, while Randle had seven points and seven rebounds. Both players were on the court for 21 minutes against the Jazz.
The Lakers have seven preseason games left on the schedule, with the next one coming against the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, October 8. The regular season begins at Staples Center against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, October 28. Game time for the season opener is 7:30 p.m. PT, and it will give fans a chance to see the new-look roster in action. Following the opener, the Lakers play the Sacramento Kings on Friday, October 30, and then the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, November 1.
This D’Angelo Russell injury should be a short-term issue for the team, but the Lakers need the rookie point guard out there to create fluidity with the offense. If he misses Thursday’s game, Russell should be back on the court to play in the Sunday, October 11 preseason game. That game will be broadcast on NBATV for the fans to enjoy at 6:30 p.m. PT. A good performance on a national stage, even in the preseason, could lead to future LA Lakers rumors being positive about a shot at the postseason.
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