The Los Angeles Lakers looked like they were going to be at full strength for the first time all season on Wednesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers with Patrick Beverley returning from a three-game suspension.
Unfortunately though, that was not the case as starting forward Troy Brown Jr. popped up on the injury report a few hours before the game, being downgraded to questionable with what the Lakers called left foot soreness.
Brown was eventually ruled out for the game, missing his first action since he sat out the first two games of the season with a back issue. The Lakers were also without another starter in Lonnie Walker IV as he was ruled out just before tipoff with the same issue as Brown – left foot soreness.
Before the game, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham explained when the injury occurred for Brown.
“He tweaked his foot in a workout this morning just getting shots up and moving around, getting a little vitamins and things happen, so we’ll see,” Ham said.
Ham didn’t sound too concerned that it’s a long-term issue, although the foot was obviously bothering him enough to miss Wednesday’s game.
Hopefully Brown isn’t out too much longer as the Lakers are about to embark on a six-game East Coast road trip where they face some tough teams. Brown has been one of the Lakers’ best wing defenders this season, earning a starting spot due to his ability to fit well alongside the team’s stars.
In 17 games this season, Brown has averaged 7.8 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 43.7% from the field and 32.7% from 3-point range.
Ham pleased with what he’s seen from Gabriel
Another Lakers role player who has caught the eyes of the coaching staff is Wenyen Gabriel. Ham recently discussed what Gabriel has brought to the team as well as what he still needs to improve on.
“He’s able to play both frontcourt positions in terms of power forward and center,” Ham said prior to the Lakers’ recent contest against the Indiana Pacers. “He’s athletic, he’s competitive, he has a defensive mindset, plays above the rim, great hands, plays the right way, plays hard.
“With him playing like that, it’s just about building his confidence. He tends to get down on himself a little bit when he makes a mistake but at the end of the day, we snap him out of it real quick. You got to have a short memory in this league whether you’re doing stuff good or doing something bad, you made a mistake, you got to have a next-play mentality. So it’s been exciting to see him.”
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