The Los Angeles Lakers announced Josh Hart has a strained ankle tendon and is considered questionable Friday night against the Utah Jazz. The team will wait to see how he fares in pregame work before making a final ruling on Hart’s status.
Hart suffered what the Lakers called a sprained left ankle against the Cleveland Cavaliers, though quickly returned to the court after being tended to. Although Hart played through the injury, he was limited to just 4 points and 4 rebounds but did have 3 blocks in 21 minutes.
Each of the blocked shots came in the first quarter and set a career high for the 23-year-old.
Originally the No. 30 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Jazz, Hart was traded to the Lakers along with the No. 42 pick (Thomas Bryant) for the No. 28 pick (Tony Bradley).
Following a solid rookie season and being voted the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League Most Valuable Player, Hart has quickly established himself as a part of the team’s young core.
In 17 games including three starts, Hart is averaging 10.6 points (41.9 percent from the three-point line) and 3.9 rebounds in 26.1 minutes.
With the Lakers shorthanded in the backcourt after Rajon Rondo’s hand surgery, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Lance Stephenson are expected to see more minutes. In addition, Svi Mykhailiuk has an opportunity to be a part of head coach Luke Walton’s rotation against the Jazz.
