EL SEGUNDO — It’s now take two for D’Angelo Russell’s second stint with the Lakers after one misstep cost him more time than even he thought it would.
For the first time since Feb. 23, when he twisted his right ankle stepping on the foot of Golden State’s Donte DiVincenzo, Russell is expected to take the court again for the Lakers on Friday night against Toronto. Coach Darvin Ham said he’ll return to the starting lineup in place of Dennis Schröder.
Russell, 27, has always had more of a below-the-rim game, which he says might help him play through what discomfort he has remaining in his ankle.
“The main thing for me is if I can do it in the weight room, on the treadmill, things like that pain-free, I think I’ll be fine on the floor,” Russell said. “My style of play kind of allows me to not overload any injury like that when it comes to the ankle or knee or things like that because I don’t play that explosive. So it kind of benefits me in that sense.”
The Lakers have had a rough run of injuries since the trade deadline, the most significant being Russell and LeBron James, who is out for at least two more weeks and possibly longer. The team got more unwelcome news on Thursday when they acknowledged that center Mo Bamba, another one of their deadline acquisitions, will miss the next four weeks with a high left ankle sprain – essentially the remainder of the regular season.
Still, that hasn’t slowed them down: The Lakers are 7-3 since changing over their roster at the deadline, have yet to lose back-to-back games and have a 107.6 defensive rating over that stretch – the best mark in the NBA. Adding Russell, who is averaging 6 assists and shooting nearly 39% from 3-point range, to that mix should liven up the group’s potential even more, Coach Darvin Ham said.
“You can never have enough shooters, and he’s a high-level thinker, IQ basketball-wise, just his moxie, his ability to control tempo, understand momentum, understand the…
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