Lakers News: D’Angelo Russell To Sit Out Vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Corey Hansford
3 Min Read

UPDATE 11/22/16 (5:31 PM PT): In addition to missing Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder, Russell will also miss Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Warriors via ESPN’s Baxter Holmes:


For the last few days Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell has been bothered with a sore knee. He sat out last Friday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs and though he returned on Sunday against Chicago, he was admittedly a little cautious in the game.

Lakers head coach Luke Walton called out his point guard, telling him to sit out if he can’t be his normal, aggressive self. Apparently Russell feels he is still too bothered as he will sit out Tuesday’s game against the Thunder according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical:

Hopefully this isn’t a bad sign for Russell and the Lakers as the last thing they can afford is for Russell’s knee issues to be more serious than initially believed and he has to sit out for an extended period of time. Walton is right in his assessment that if Russell is on the court he needs to be aggressive as him not being himself hurts the Lakers overall.

With Russell out, Walton has multiple options to turn to. Against the Spurs he chose to go with veteran Jose Calderon as he didn’t want to mess with the Lakers’ vaunted bench lineup. However, with a match-up against the very fast, athletic backcourt of Russell Westbrook and Victor Oladipo, it is possible that Walton could instead choose to go with someone like Jordan Clarkson.

This isn’t exactly the best week for Russell to need extended time off as the Lakers must turn right around for back-to-back matchups against the Golden State Warriors tomorrow and Friday, followed by a Sunday night showdown against the Atlanta Hawks.

Corey Hansford is the Senior Editor for Lakers Nation, as well as a contributor for Dodger Blue, Rams News Wire, and Raiders News Wire. He is a passionate follower of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chelsea FC, and the UFC. He can usually be seen arguing the merits of Kobe Bryant or cursing the decisions of Jerry Jones. He is also a former producer and associate producer for Sirius XM Sports Radio on both the Fantasy Sports Channel and College Sports Nation. Proud graduate of Long Beach Poly High School and The Real HU, Howard University, with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Follow him on all social media outlets at @TheeCoreyH.
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