The Los Angeles Lakers lost another player to injury and it happened to be the one debuting for L.A. in the 112-97 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Andre Drummond managed to play just 14 minutes before the damaged nail on his big toe forced him out of his first game for the reigning NBA champions.
The 27-year-old center impressed head coach Frank Vogel both offensively and defensively on Wednesday night before his toenail came off completely, ending his Lakers debut. Even though Drummond appeared to be in a lot of pain following the incident, X-rays didn’t show any bone fracture, suggesting his injury isn’t serious.
However, it remains to be seen whether he’ll join LeBron James and Anthony Davis among the inactive players ahead of Friday’s clash with the Sacramento Kings.
But despite seeing another Laker getting hurt this season, Markieff Morris said that spirits remain high in the locker room. “It just makes for a better ending,” he said. “That’s how we look at it. Everybody’ll be back out there. We’re not worried about the big toe. It just lines up for a great ending. A great ride off into the sunset, championship win again.”
Morris pointed out that L.A. isn’t dealing with season-ending injuries and that the team’s All-Stars should be back for the most important part of the 2020-21 campaign. “Well, we have no season-ending injuries and we know we’re capable of winning games,” he said.
“You’ve got to stay positive. We know what we’re capable of, we know this was a quick turnaround from winning the championship last year … and we know our two big guys our two top guys are down right now, but we know they’re coming back well-rested. That’s going to be real big for us. I hope everybody else know that.”
Morris: Lakers will see the best of Drummond in 10-15 games
Morris said that Drummond’s injury won’t affect the Lakers heavily considering he just joined the team. The forward added the two-time All-Star is yet to get back in shape after the Cleveland Cavaliers benched him for a month and a half before the two sides agreed to a contract buyout.
“We knew it was going to take some time before Dre get acclimated anyway,” Morris said. “We won’t see the best of him for another 10-15 games anyway. No matter how much you work out, if you don’t actually play in an NBA game it won’t be the same.
“We’re excited. We know the foot won’t hold him out for a long time. We’re just preparing to keep winning games and preparing for when we’re fully healthy.”
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