Injuries continue to pile up for the Los Angeles Lakers during their 2017 NBA Summer League campaign in Las Vegas. As if losing Brandon Ingram in the first of the two games they played at the Thomas & Mack Center wasn’t bad enough, now they won’t have three of their rookies on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings.
According to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, Kyle Kuzma joins a long list of inactive players for tonight’s game against their division rivals:
Lonzo (sore R groin), Kyle Kuzma (cramps) & Josh Hart (sprained R ankle) are all out tonight. Thomas Bryant (left knee soreness) is probable
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) July 10, 2017
Kuzma has been impressive during his first two games of Summer League play. The Utah product has shown no rookie jitters and appears confident while playing alongside fellow rookie Lonzo Ball. Kuzma is currently averaging 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 44.1 percent from the floor.
Without Ingram, Ball, Kuzma, and Hart, the Lakers’ Summer League roster looks much different than it did on Friday in their first game against the Los Angeles Clippers. The attention will turn to second-year center Ivica Zubac, Vander Blue, David Nwaba, and Thomas Bryant (if he plays).
Although he showed a lot of promise during his rookie season, Zubac hasn’t played well in Summer League thus far. The Croatian import is averaging 6.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 16.0 minutes per contest while shooting 40 percent from the floor.
It’ll be interesting to see which players step up in extended minutes on Monday to win the team’s first game in Summer League this year. All the players mentioned, barring any last-minute changes or injuries, will likely get their opportunities tonight.
