LOS ANGELES — D’Angelo Russell’s twisted right ankle has gone from something the guard called “pretty unlucky” in the first quarter of the first game back from the All-Star break to a concern that has kept him out of four games in a row.
But the Lakers have hope that they could get their starting point guard back for Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Coach Darvin Ham said Friday before tip-off against Minnesota that Russell, 27, is progressing from his sprained ankle, scrimmaging with the Lakers’ “stay ready” group of fringe and non-rotation players.
“We don’t want to have a guy go from not playing an NBA game to throwing him back out there,” Ham said. “There’s steps such as play groups that we have to see how he responds to that, how his body responds, specifically his ankle. So we’ll go through that, and he’s in the process of doing all of that.”
Russell’s return would provide playmaking and shooting for a team needing both in the wake of LeBron James’ right foot injury, which will keep him off the court for at least three weeks. Russell averaged 13.5 points and 5 assists in his first four games with the Lakers, and he is shooting 39% from 3-point range this season, including his time with Minnesota.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Russell: “D’Lo was really important to our midseason turnaround where we righted the ship a little bit – he had a hell of a six-week stretch.”
There are about five weeks left in the Lakers’ season, and they now know James will miss the majority of them. But Ham said the timeline, which the team released on Thursday, doesn’t change their mindset to make the playoffs, and the urgency to earn a spot won’t affect how they handle James’ injury.
“If it wasn’t for him and his play, we wouldn’t be this close to have a chance to improve going forward,” Ham said. “So just want him to take his time and be aligned with the medical staff, and do what he needs…
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