Lakers Could Get One Reinforcement Back Soon
The purple and gold started off this season with a plethora of injuries piling up. Trevor Ariza underwent ankle surgery. Then Kendrick Nunn and Talen Horton-Tucker injured themselves during the middle of preseason with a bone bruise in his knee and a thumb injury respectively.
Wayne Ellington is another swingman that has missed a chunk of the season this far, recovering from a hamstring strain he suffered during the preseason. If you have noticed, Ellington has been dressed to play as emergency the past three games, so clearly, he is the closest to come back compared with the other injured players.
During shootaround before the Lakers Friday win against the Cavaliers, coach Frank Vogel gave a positive update to the sharpshooters’ status.
Over the past couple seasons, the Lakers do not practice much, often having long film sessions or opting for light practices when their games are more staggered apart. Vogel seems to be honest when he says he isn’t sure when getting practices in is going to happen, since the team often cancels shootarounds or practices at the last minute.
Despite his defensive woes, Ellington was starting for the Lakers during the onset of the preseason. He shot a career high 42.2% from the perimeter last season for the Detroit Pistons, and is one of the few players on the Lakers who allow proper spacing when Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis are on the court.