D’Angelo Russell will start on-court activities but won’t travel to Houston with Lakers
D’Angelo Russell, sidelined by a knee injury reacts to a call from a referee against the Spurs at the Staples Center on Friday.
Luke Walton’s rotation, which has grown more confusing as the Lakers’ injuries have piled up, might be easier to solve when the Lakers face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday.
But not because his team is getting healthier. The Lakers will take only 11 players on the one-day trip and forward Larry Nance Jr. remains questionable with a knee contusion.
Starting point guard D’Angelo Russell, who has now missed 10 games with left knee soreness, was reevaluated Tuesday. Walton said Russell feels better and the Lakers will “start getting him on the court a little bit.” Walton said it is possible, but not probable, that Russell could play Friday or Sunday if he is practices before then, though Monday’s game at Sacramento might be more likely for his return.
Russell was initially ruled out for at least two weeks Nov. 23 and Wednesday marks two weeks since that announcement.
“They told me today that [Russell’s] able to start doing some stuff on the court again, that he’s not coming with us,” Walton said after the Lakers practiced Tuesday. “So with what we’re doing from the coaching staff, we’re prepping and working out here with players that are going to be on this trip.
“And then we’ll get more information over the next day or two when it becomes more relevant to [Russell] being back in practice and stuff like that.”
Starting shooting guard Nick Young, backup point guard Jose Calderon and backup center Tarik Black will also stay in Los Angeles. Calderon strained his hamstring in Memphis on Saturday and is expected to be out two to four weeks. Young is sidelined with a strained calf and expected to miss at least another week. He worked on an anti-gravity treadmill Tuesday.
Black sprained his right ankle in the Lakers’ loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday and used crutches to leave Staples Center. Nance, who dressed but did not play against the Jazz, will travel with the team to Houston.
“I think some guys are going to start coming back. I’m not even sure who is in and who is out. We’ll start figuring that out in the morning,” said guard Lou Williams.
Injuries forced the Lakers to make a major adjustment against the Jazz. With Russell, Calderon and Young sidelined, Walton started Brandon Ingram at point guard and surrounded him with Luol Deng, Metta World Peace, Julius Randle and Timofey Mozgov. Walton chose that lineup to disrupt the Jazz’s offense — and to keep Williams and Jordan Clarkson together on the second unit — but the group had a lot of trouble scoring.
As a result, Walton said Tuesday that he might separate Williams and Clarkson against the Rockets. Williams is averaging a team-high 18.4 points and scored a combined 78 in the Lakers’ last two games. Clarkson is the next highest scorer, among healthy players, at 14.9 a game.
Russell, who had a platelet-rich plasma injection in his knee two weeks ago, is arguably the most important player for the short-handed Lakers.
“We’re not going to rush him right into a game,” Walton said. “But if he can get out there and he practices and can get one or two practices in and feels fine the next day, I wouldn’t see why he wouldn’t be able to play [this weekend]. But that all depends on how he does in those practices.”
Up next
LAKERS AT HOUSTON
When: 5 p.m.
Where: Toyota Center.
On the air: TV: Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum Deportes; Radio: 710, 1330.
Records: Lakers 10-13; Rockets 14-7
Record vs. Rockets: 1-0
Update: A lot has changed since the Lakers beat the Rockets on opening night. The Lakers are traveling with 11 players as point guard D’Angelo Russell (knee), point guard Jose Calderon (hamstring), shooting guard Nick Young (calf) and center Tarik Black (ankle) are all out and staying in Los Angeles. Forward Larry Nance Jr. (knee) will travel but is questionable. The Lakers have lost three straight games, while the Rockets have won three straight and scored 100 or more in a row. Rockets guard James Harden ranks fourth in NBA in scoring (28.7) and first in assists (11.6).
Follow Jesse Dougherty on Twitter @dougherty_jesse
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