The new-look Lakers have already suffered their first blow of the second half of the season. While facing the Golden State Warriors, D’Angelo Russell ended up tweaking his ankle on a play and had to be taken out of the game.
Russell has been ruled out of the rest of the game and will likely be evaluated after the game. Given the Lakers spoke about the importance of playing all their players throughout the end of the season, D’Lo missing time will be a big blow given the dynamism he added to the Lakers
Fans are not happy about this injury and expressed their disappointment on Twitter after Russell was ruled out of the game.
D'Angelo Russell tweaks his ankle and is OUT the rest of the game.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 24, 2023
cursed pic.twitter.com/Nq6GsSmG0a
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) February 24, 2023
SUSPENDED DONTE FOR THE REST OF THE SZN
— Nova (@Ventasion2) February 24, 2023
https://twitter.com/Danizeh/status/1628970179815174146
Lakers curse 🙁
— PredictionStrike (@PredictStrike) February 24, 2023
Praying nothing serious happened 🙏🏽
— WarriorsAndSeahawksfan (@SeahawksAndDubs) February 24, 2023
— vīzer (@vizerfr) February 24, 2023
Lakers can’t catch a break.
— Kai E. Parker (@realkaiparker) February 24, 2023
we deadass been vibin and building a rhythm and donte divencenzo on an INBOUND runs into d’angelo russell and sprains his ankle.
u can’t make this shit up bro.
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) February 24, 2023
D’Angelo Russell is day to day, according to Chris Haynes. It is NOT a serious injury.
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) February 24, 2023
Chris Haynes' update on D'Angelo Russell, which was good news for the Lakers. pic.twitter.com/fzw999zykD
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) February 24, 2023
Looks like an inversion ankle sprain for D’Angelo Russell. Timeline to return will be dependent on severity
Grade I: 1-2 weeks
Grade II: 3-6 weeks
https://t.co/1L9WvxEiK8
— Dr. Evan Jeffries, DPT (@GameInjuryDoc) February 24, 2023
The Lakers need every one of their top players to be available to try and maximize their chances at a playoff spot. Fans are praying that D’Lo isn’t hurt for too long. The question that will plague the team now is, can they weather the storm without Russell’s offensive production and floor spacing?
What Do The Lakers Do To Adjust Their Gameplan Without Russell?
Dennis Schroder is likely to get more opportunity as the sole point guard on the roster that’s healthy but the Lakers may have to look into a strategy they’ve used before. The 2020 Lakers were lethal primarily because LeBron James was playing primarily as the point guard on the team.
The Lakers have the wing and big flexibility to have LeBron run the point again and keep Schroder in charge of the second unit. Any combination of Malik Beasley, Austin Reaves, Lonnie Walker IV, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Anthony Davis can be around LBJ and provide the team with competent inside and outside threats while LBJ runs the show.
Hopefully, D’Lo can return sooner rather than later to help the Lakers win at least 15 to 17 of their last 22 games this season.
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