The Los Angeles Lakers finished up practice with conditioning drills on Wednesday, preparing for their fourth preseason game against the Utah Jazz on Thursday.
Unfortunately, Lakers head coach Byron Scott said Steve Nash, who missed Tuesday’s practice, tweaked his back while picking up bags. Because of the uncertainty surrounding Nash, Scott said who starts going into the season is still “up in the air.”
Scott said he just recently sat down with Kobe Bryant and they came to an agreement on the right number of minutes for the upcoming season. Scott said Bryant made it clear that he wants to play every game, including in the preseason.
The Lakers head coach also went over the good and the bad of training camp:
The good…the effort and they’re trying their best, which I think is great. Their attention span is right there, and they want to do all the right things. The bad is the transition part, we have to do a better job as far as locating guys, picking them up, stopping the ball and communicating.”
Xavier Henry (back spasms) who returned to practice on Tuesday did not practice on Wednesday. Scott clarified that Henry did not have any setbacks, but he will not be available for Thursday’s game.
Jeremy Lin, who suffered an ankle sprain over the weekend, started running Wednesday but says he won’t be able to play Thursday night. Lin is targeting Sunday for a return.
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Jordan Clarkson (calf strain) will also be out for Thursday’s game, but Scott left the door open for Sunday. Byron Scott also said that Ryan Kelly (hamstring strain) playing Sunday is a good possibility.
After practice, Jordan Hill discussed the new emphasis on defense and conditioning this season in comparison to last. Hill said Scott has also been encouraging to capitalize on taking wide open jumpers, a specific part of the offense that Hill worked on over the summer.
[divide]Jeremy Lin On Nash: ‘Always Played The Game The Right Way