This off-season, the Los Angeles Lakers brought in three veterans who they hoped would make an impact on the team and undoubtedly the most productive of the three has been guard, Lou Williams.
Williams has proven that he can consistently provide an offensive punch and has shown a penchant for drawing fouls on jumpers that very few can match.
Williams left the Lakers victory over the Brooklyn Nets early, and now the team has announced that he will be out at least a week due to a strained hamstring according to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Injury Update:
Lakers announce that Lou Williams is expected to be out a minimum of one week (strained left hamstring).— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 2, 2016
This is an unfortunate turn for Williams who is enjoying an excellent season. He is among the team leaders in scoring and has done well whether starting or coming off the bench. If there is a silver lining to this, however, it is the fact that this will force D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson to take on bigger roles offensively when it comes to scoring and initiating the offense.
Against the Nets, Marcelo Huertas inherited Williams’ minutes in the second half and played well, so it is possible that he will continue to be the backup guard. The Lakers could also go big on the wing and play both Anthony Brown and Nick Young as Brown has played only when Kobe Bryant has sat out in recent games. Head coach Byron Scott will surely have some tough choices to make as he tries to replace one of the team’s best scorers.