The Los Angeles Lakers traditionally get hit by the injury bug hard and it is seeming to start early again this year.
The Lakers will be without Troy Brown Jr. at least through the season opener due to a back injury. Additionally, both Lonnie Walker IV and Juan Toscano-Anderson suffered minor injuries in recent preseason games but are believed to be OK moving forward.
Another player who has missed most of training camp is Dennis Schroder, although that was not due to an injury. After playing for Germany in EuroBasket this past summer, it took Schroder a while to get his visa issue figured out to come back to the United States.
Schroder joined the Lakers this past Monday and made his preseason debut on Wednesday, playing a few minutes against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Since then though, Schroder has joined the list of injured Lakers players as according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, he hurt his finger and his status for Tuesday’s season opener against the Golden State Warriors is in question:
Lakers’ Dennis Schroder has suffered a finger injury and his status is up in the air ahead of regular season next week, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Schroder will not play in tonight’s game vs. Kings and is undergoing testing on severity and return timetable.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 14, 2022
This is obviously not great news for Schroder and the Lakers as they prepare to begin the 2022-23 season hoping to get off to a hot start.
Schroder is expected to be a big part of L.A.’s second unit this season due to his ability to play both on and off ball while also being a strong defender. The Lakers are very guard-heavy though, so they can withstand one injury without having to change too many things in their rotation.
It remains to be seen how long Schroder will be out, but with the bigger picture in mind, the Lakers will wait to ensure he is 100% healthy before returning.
Westbrook to come off bench against Kings
As Darvin Ham continues to tinker with different lineups in the preseason, he will reportedly test out bringing Russell Westbrook off the bench on Friday night against the Sacramento Kings.
Westbrook hasn’t come off the bench since his rookie season so this would represent a significant change, although it could be the Lakers’ best option if he is willing to buy into the role.
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