Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel offered a promising update on the continuing rehabilitation of veteran Trevor Ariza.
Trevor Ariza participated in the non-contact portion of practice today, which was most of practice, Vogel said.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) December 2, 2021
The 36-year-old Ariza has yet to play in a game for the Lakers this season after injuring his ankle during the team’s training camp. He underwent surgery in early October for the issue and was scheduled to be re-evaluated after eight weeks.
Ariza, who will be starting his second tenure with the Lakers, has career averages of 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game. That first run with the Lakers began in November 2007, when he was acquired from the Orlando Magic.
After the 2008-09 season, Ariza signed with the Houston Rockets as a free agent and has had a well-traveled career in the NBA, playing for a total of 10 teams.
Ariza’s veteran status and past effectiveness were the reasons that the Lakers signed him as a free agent in August.
At the time of his signing, the Lakers were building around of the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and newly acquired Russell Westbrook.
However, the Lakers have gotten off to a bumpy start and have a 12-11 record thus far this season. Injuries beyond Ariza’s issue have been one reason for the early struggles.
Exactly when Ariza returns is uncertain, though the Lakers are hoping he comes back as quickly as possible, given the torrid starts of both the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. On Friday night, the Lakers will host the Clippers, followed by another home matchup against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 7.
