Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham had a positive update on D’Angelo Russell’s foot injury following the Lakers’ win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Russell, who left the game with a left foot injury, was taken out for precautionary reasons, according to Ham.
Darvin Ham on D'Angelo Russell's injury: "It was definitely precautionary, just a little left foot soreness. He could've continued the game if we needed him to."
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) April 3, 2023
This is great news for the Lakers, as the team has lost both LeBron James and Anthony Davis to more severe foot injuries this season. Russell has also missed time with an ankle injury since he was acquired by the Lakers at the trade deadline in a three-team deal featuring the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Prior to exiting Sunday’s win over the Rockets, Russell had scored six points while adding three rebounds and four assists.
The Lakers dominated the Rockets, outscoring them by 15 points in the second half on their way to a 134-109 victory.
The win improved the Lakers to 40-38 on the season with just four games to play. Los Angeles is in striking distance of a top six seed in the Western Conference, which would be huge for the team as it would avoid the league’s play-in tournament.
Since coming to the Lakers, Russell has been a steady presence at the point guard position. He’s averaging 18.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game in a Lakers uniform.
It’s a great sign that he could have returned to Sunday’s game if it already wasn’t in hand for Los Angeles.
If Russell does miss time over the team’s final four games of the regular season, Dennis Schroder would likely see a bigger role in the Lakers’ rotation.
Schroder came off the bench on Sunday and scored one point while adding three rebounds and three assists. With the emergence of Austin Reaves, Los Angeles had not been short on guard scoring to close out the 2022-23 season.
The Lakers are back in action on Tuesday, April 4 when they take on the Utah Jazz. It’s a bit of a tight turnaround for Russell, and Los Angeles has an even bigger game on April 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Ham and the Lakers may rest their point guard in the front end of that back-to-back just to make sure his foot is good to go.
The team should release more on Russell’s status for the team’s upcoming games as they get closer.
