One of the biggest stories for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the NBA as a whole this season has been the resurgence of Nick Young. Many assumed Young would be traded or released by the team this summer, but not only did he stick around, he impressed the coaching staff enough to earn a starting role.
Young has increased his numbers across the board while showing an increased focus on defense that has never been seen, but now his bounce back season has hit a road block.
In the opening minutes Tuesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Young had to be helped off the court with a right leg injury. It was initially ruled a strained Achilles, but after an MRI on Wednesday, the Lakers have announced that Young suffered a strained calf muscle and will miss the next two to four weeks:
Lakers guard/forward Nick Young, who was injured in the first quarter of last night’s game at New Orleans, had an MRI exam today in Chicago. The results show a strained calf muscle in his right leg. Young is expected to be out approximately 2-4 weeks.
All things considered, this is probably good news for Young as things looked like they could be much worse last night. He couldn’t put any pressure on his right leg when he left the court, and it was a dreaded non-contact injury which had many thinking of something more severe than a strain.
For Young, this couldn’t come at a worse time as he was playing great basketball while shooting exceptionally well. Young was shooting career high percentages from the field and the three-point line and has arguably been the Lakers’ best defender.
Luke Walton will now need to figure things out without his starting backcourt as D’Angelo Russell is also out for at least another week. The Lakers’ outstanding start is now in danger of being derailed due to these injuries continuing to pile up.
