Lakers News: Injury Updates Ahead Of Tomorrow's Warriors-Lakers Season Opener

Does having a healthy roster really matter much against the reigning champs?

You don't actually know how an NBA game will turn out before it's played. That, folks say, is why they play the games. But this writer has a pretty reasonable inkling about how tomorrow's opening game of your Los Angeles Lakers' 75th NBA season, against the 2022 NBA championship-winning Golden State Warriors, will go: not well.

Whether or not the Lakers are relatively healthy tomorrow remains somewhat up in the air, but it won't matter. Despite the team notching its lone preseason victory in six tries against Golden State last week, this current L.A. roster should get flattened by the champs at the Chase Center.

As shared by Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register, Los Angeles announced in an injury report today that swingman Troy Brown Jr. and point guard Dennis Schröder will both be sidelined with their respective long-term injuries (a back issue for Brown and a surgically-repaired thumb for Schröder), as expected. In a bit of a surprise development, center Thomas Bryant will also miss tomorrow's contest with a thumb injury of his own, having sprained his left thumb.

The Lakers' "Big Three" (well, Big Two plus Russell Westbrook) of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook are all listed as being probable to play, despite having each already incurred various injuries. Westbrook suffered a sore hamstring during the Lakers' preseason finale Friday against the Sacramento Kings, while Davis has been battling low back soreness off and on for weeks. James's listed ailment, left foot soreness, comes as news to us. 

Schröder had what the team has referred to as a successful surgery today to repair the ulnar collateral ligament of his right thumb, reports Marc Stein. Dave McMenamin of ESPN reveals that Los Angeles will reassess the 6'3" guard's thumb in three weeks.

All things considered, resting L.A.'s best players on opening night, if the team can cook up injury excuses, isn't the worst strategy for new head coach Darvin Ham.