Lakers downgrade D’Angelo Russell’s status for Tuesday’s matchup vs. Jazz

The status of Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell for the team’s Tuesday night road game against the Utah Jazz has been downgraded to questionable.

Russell left Sunday’s blowout win over the Houston Rockets with a left foot injury after playing just 15 minutes. In that contest, he had scored six points, dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds.

After the game, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was optimistic that Russell would be able to compete against the Jazz. That hopeful prognosis may end up being inaccurate.

Given the Lakers’ precarious position in the Western Conference fight for the postseason, the team is hoping that Russell will be able to contribute.

Russell, who began his career with the Lakers and spent his first two seasons with the team, was re-acquired in February.

Since joining the Lakers, Russell has seen action in 14 games, all of them in a starting capacity. He’s averaging 17.1 points, 6.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, numbers that will be difficult to replace at such a pivotal time of year.

The recent return of LeBron James from injury was a welcome sight for the Lakers, who have once again dealt with crucial injuries this season.

One reason why getting Russell is so important is because of the Lakers’ building momentum over the past month. The team has won six of its last seven games and 10 of its last 14 contests.

The timing of that surge could help get the team past competing in the play-in portion of the season. The current tight bunching of teams that are fighting to reach the postseason makes it impossible to determine who the Lakers might end up facing.

Even after getting to a play-in position and hopefully advancing to the first round of the playoffs, the Lakers’ road still remains daunting. Considering the challenges the team has weathered this season, simply winning one series might be seen as a positive step.

Russell’s future with the Lakers beyond this season is also a mystery, since his current contract ends at the conclusion of this season. Re-signing him could be a major challenge, even though he’s indicated that he’d like to stay.

However, for now, the Lakers simply want to see him back on the court.