Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the Los Angeles Lakers big free agent signing this offseason. The former Piston agreed to a one-year, $18 million contract after Detroit renounced his rights, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The Lakers see Caldwell-Pope as the ideal backcourt partner for rookie point guard Lonzo Ball. He is a top-notch defender who can guard the other team’s best guard and is a solid floor spacer on offense as well.
Throughout this preseason the Lakers have struggled to avoid minor injuries as a number of different players have gone down and Caldwell-Pope could be the latest to join. The Lakers announced that Caldwell-Pope will undergo an MRI for a possible broken nose after he was elbowed in the face at practice Monday:
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will undergo an MRI for a potentially broken nose after being elbowed in the face yesterday.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 17, 2017
The injury isn’t too serious as Caldwell-Pope still participated in practice today before heading to the doctor. If his nose does turn out to be broken he would likely be fitted for a mask and continue to play.
Of course, his Lakers’ debut won’t take place until Sunday as Caldwell-Pope is suspended for the first two games of the season due to a previous DUI. The question of who will start in his place is an ongoing one that has yet to be answered.
Caldwell-Pope is the latest Laker to be dealt with an injury. Ball is just returning to practice while both Julius Randle and Andrew Bogut have been listed as inactive for Thursday’s season opener, though that could change by the time Thursday comes. Additionally, rookie Josh Hart suffered an Achilles bursitis yesterday at practice as well and his recovery time is unknown.