The LA Lakers saw D'Angelo Russell injured in the preseason against the Jazz, but the injury is not considered serious for the rookie point guard. Julius Randle, Metta World Peace and Brandon Bass are completing to start some games for the Lakers with Kobe Bryant, while a Nick Young trade is possible after the addition of Lou Williams in free agency.
Russell was taken with the second overall pick in the draft and he is considered to be a future star player for the Lakers. The team has liked what Russell has been showing in camp and in workouts this summer and while he has struggled at times, he is expecting to play heavy minutes this season. According to ESPN.com, Baxter Holmes reports that Russell is dealing with bruised glute injury and it came in the first quarter of the game against the Jazz on Tuesday, which was a 117-114 loss.
Russell was hit by Jazz center Rudy Gobert and went down and he later went to the locker room with the injury. ESPN reports that a Lakers spokesman later said that Russell could have returned to the game and he likely would have if it was a regular season game. Byron Scott called it a "hard fall" and he said that Russell will heal up and get back on the court when he is ready. Julius Randle is coming back from a serious knee injury and the Lakers are expected to be careful with his minutes to start the season.
The Lakers are already dealing with a number of injuries in the preseason, as players like Nick Young, Marcelo Huertas, Anthony Browns and Jabari Brown are all banged up. Kobe Bryant is coming back from shoulder surgery and his health for this season is a major issue for the team. If Bryant can stay healthy the Lakers have a chance to improve after another tough season last year. Bryant scored 13 points in his second preseason game and played 20 minutes after playing just 12 in the preseason opener.
Scott said earlier in the preseason that Bryant would not be on a hard minutes cap, but that he likely would limit things for the veteran this season. Bryant played well for the Lakers last year while he was healthy, but he shot a career low from the floor percentage wise and will be looking to tick that back up this season. The Lakers made a number of moves this summer, including adding Williams, Roy Hibbert and Brandon Bass to the roster.
Russell reportedly has "shown improvement" from his injury the other night, but he did not practice on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com. Russell's status remains up in the air for the game against the Raptors on Thursday. The Lakers could look at a Nick Young trade this year, as his name came up earlier in the summer, but the team did not find a suitable deal. Some have speculated that the addition of Lou Williams could make Young expendable and he is a player to watch as the season progresses, according to CBS Sports.
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