Lakers News: Cole Swider Suffers Stress Reaction In Right Foot, Out At Least Four Weeks

The Lakers' rookie two-way signee will be re-assessed in a month.

First-year Los Angeles Lakers forward Cole Swider, who inked a two-way contract with L.A. after going undrafted out of Syracuse this summer, will be shelved longer than was initially expected.

As Marc Stein reports, the Lakers have announced that their team doctors have determined Swider has incurred a right foot stress reaction. The foot will be re-assessed in four weeks. That does not mean, however, that Swider will be available to play in four weeks, rather it suggests that there is a possibility he may be healthy enough to do so.

The Lakers say rookie Cole Swider will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks after he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot.

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— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 24, 2022

Swider has only had a minor role on the floor for L.A. thus far this season, appearing for a 1:52 minute cameo during the conclusion of the team's opening night 123-109 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

Should Swider eventually hit at the NBA level, the 6'9" combo forward could be exactly what Los Angeles needs: a big wing who can spread the floor. He spent three years at Villanova before transferring to Syracuse for the 2021-22 season. He boasts an NCAA three-point shooting rate of 38.1% on 4.0 attempts a night.

He also made 43.2% of his field goal looks and 79.4% of his charity stripe attempts over four years. During his final collegiate season, where he was showcased in a bigger role for Syracuse than he had been at Villanova, Swider averaged 13.9 points a game on .440/.411/.866 shooting splits, along with 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and a steal per night across 33 appearances, all starts. That 41.1% three-point shooting mark was achieved on a high-volume 6.0 attempts. The big caveat with the three-point shooting numbers of course is that they were achieved against smaller, slower college competition, along a shorter three-point line in the NCAA.

Losing Swider is certainly a bummer at the developmental level for L.A., but he was never expected to be a big contributor to the team's main roster this year. Here's hoping he returns sooner rather than later, and can rehab with the team's El Segundo G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, to regain his form.