The Los Angeles Lakers lost 319 games to injury last season, a number that is almost impossible to repeat. Unfortunately, training camp isn’t getting off to the best start in regards to that.
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With Xavier Henry still not practicing yet, second-year forward Ryan Kelly suffered a left hamstring strain, according to our own Serena Winters:
Injury UPDATE: Ryan Kelly has a moderate left hamstring string. Out indefinitely
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 1, 2014
This is a tough break for Kelly who came into his rookie season battling injuries and was behind the curve from the beginning because of it. He would eventually recover and go on to have a solid rookie season.
Missing time early this season could prove to be extremely detrimental to Kelly as he already seemed to be the odd man out of the Lakers’ big man rotation and this may push him further down the depth chart.
With Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, Carlos Boozer, Julius Randle and Robert Sacre all battling for minutes up front, getting consistent playing time was going to be tough for Kelly and missing significant time will only make things tougher.
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Kelly was looking to build on his solid rookie season, and will need to come back quickly if he plans on making an impact early on this season. Hopefully, this is only an aberration as the Lakers can ill-afford to lose bodies so quickly this season.
[divide]Lakers Media Day 2014: Byron Scott (PT II), Defense Wins Championships