With all of the lineup changes and switches employed by head coach Byron Scott, the one player who has seemed to be a constant in the Los Angeles Lakers starting lineup is Jordan Hill. Hill has been arguably the most consistent player on the team this season.
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Unfortunately for the Lakers and Hill, the injury issues that have plagued the team have popped up again as Hill is expected to miss two weeks with a strained hip muscle he suffered against the New York Knicks according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
Lakers forward Jordan Hill has a strained hip muscle and will likely miss two weeks, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 3, 2015
This is a major blow to the Lakers on a number of fronts. Hill has been one of the Lakers’ go-to players this year, especially with Kobe Bryant gone. Hill is posting career highs in points, rebounds, assists and blocks.
Hill was also likely the Lakers’ best trade asset as a solid big capable of starting or coming off the bench, and excelling on the boards. With the trade deadline coming up on February 19, however, it would be hard to move Hill until he gets back on the court if that were something the Lakers wanted to do.
As it stands, Hill is just the latest in a long line of Lakers to fall to victim to injury. Tarik Black, Ed Davis, and Robert Sacre all stand as likely to see an increased role in Hill’s absence.
[divide]Lakers Win Thriller In Double OT