Injuries continue to be a problem for the Los Angeles Lakers halfway through the preseason with six players currently on the shelf for the storied franchise. Despite a quick start to the preseason with a win over the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers have lost three in a row in convincing fashion.
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On Saturday, Kobe Bryant was asked whether the injury problems have impacted the team. Bryant responded with the following, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com:
Asked Kobe at Sat. practice how the 6 guys being out w/injuries affect camp: “A lot. Guys aren’t on the floor that need to be on the floor.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 18, 2014
Kobe continued: “Hopefully we get guys out there and start playing with the unit we’re going to be playing with in the regular season.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 18, 2014
Initially, Xavier Henry and Ryan Kelly were the two players on the squad dealing with injuries before the first preseason game against the Nuggets. Now the team is without Jordan Clarkson, Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash and Nick Young heading into the fifth preseason game.
Although Lin and Clarkson’s injuries aren’t serious, their presence in the backcourt has been sorely missed. The Lakers are struggling on both sides of the floor and don’t have consistent offensive threat once Kobe heads to the bench.
Fortunately, Clarkson and Lin will be back sooner rather than later, but the team’s lack of depth has become a glaring problem for head coach Byron Scott and possibly a sign of things to come.
[divide]Lakers Post-Game: Byron Scott, “We Need More Than Kobe”
