The Lakers have been bit by the injury bug across the board this year. Nick Young was out for a couple weeks alongside D’Angelo Russell in November. Then Julius Randle was out for a few games, followed by Larry Nance, Jr. who is just now coming back.
Due to an undisclosed injury after tripping and landing on the court floor, D’Angelo Russell came out of the game early in the first quarter of Friday night’s win against the Pacers. According the the Lakers he had an MRI at 10:30 and it showed that he has a mild MCL sprain, calf sprain, and bone bruise.
Russell's MRI confirmed a mild MCL sprain in his R knee & a calf strain, and also showed a bone bruise. Out 1-2 weeks, re-evaluated in 1 wk.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 22, 2017
LOS ANGELES – D’Angelo Russell, who was injured in the first quarter of last night’s game against the Indiana Pacers, had an MRI today. Results of the MRI confirmed a mild MCL sprain in his right knee and a right calf strain, and also showed a bone bruise. He will be out one-to-two weeks and will be re-evaluated in one week.
Losing D’Angelo for even just one week hurts this team a lot. He is the primary facilitator for the team and without him the offense cannot run smoothly. His stat line of 14.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game doesn’t do him justice as he racks up hockey assists all game and is extremely important.
He’ll miss at the very least three games against Dallas, Portland, and Utah, and at the most six to seven games. In his absence the Lakers may turn to Lou Williams or Jordan Clarkson to fill in to play point guard, but don’t be surprised if Luke Walton turns to Brandon Ingram to run the offense as the starting small forward if Luol Deng is still out. Jose Calderon started the second half of the Pacers’ game after Russell’s injury.
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