The Los Angeles Lakers have been giving opportunities to some of their two-way and Exhibit 10 players during the first three games of preseason. One of those players is two-way forward Armel Traoré, an undrafted rookie out of France.
Traoré has played in two of the three preseason games thus far, getting nine minutes in their victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday. He played a major role in the comeback effort o\ and was a plus-20 in his short time on the court.
But it seems he may not get many more chances to play with the Lakers before the end of the preseason, as he suffered a hand injury in the win over the Bucks that could keep him out for close to a week, according to Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
Two-way forward Armel Traore will "probably be out " for 5 days with swelling in right hand (shooting hand), per JJ Redick. He's currently wearing a brace.
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 12, 2024
The Lakers were hopeful to get as much information on Traore as possible by giving him run in the preseason before he spends a majority of the year with the South Bay Lakers. But because the Lakers don’t have much depth on the wings, it’s possible that he could have played himself into a legitimate role with the team.
It’s unfortunate he is going to lose out on some chances to do that, as five days from Saturday could mean he is out for two of the final three preseason games before the regular season gets underway. If Traoré can return early, it would behoove him to do so as he can try to earn himself a rotation spot for the time that he is contractually allowed to spend with the parent team.
JJ Redick happy to have Quincy Olivari in Lakers organization
The Lakers picked up their first preseason win on Thursday night over the Bucks. Trailing in the fourth quarter, the reserves led a big comeback that had an unlikely catalyst in undrafted rookie guard Quincy Olivari.
Olivari led the way in the fourth with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists while knocking down three 3-pointers as the Lakers outscored the Bucks by 13 in that final period. Afterwards, head coach JJ Redick had high praise for Olivari, saying he showed the blueprint for what he is looking for from some of his role players.
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