The Los Angeles Lakers have listed forward Trevor Ariza as questionable for Friday night’s matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he will not play in the game.
Ariza will be in uniform for Los Angeles because the Lakers are missing several players due to the league’s health and safety protocols, but he still isn’t ready to make his debut this season.
Trevor Ariza will be listed as questionable (right ankle injury recovery) tonight in Minnesota, but he will not play.
Ariza will be in uniform, as Wayne Ellington was when he was coming back from injury earlier this season, when the Lakers also had myriad absences.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) December 17, 2021
Ariza, 36, signed with the Lakers this past offseason after playing 30 games in the 2020-21 campaign with the Miami Heat.
While the Lakers will still have to wait for Ariza to join the rotation, it is a positive sign that he is progressing closer to a return this season.
Ariza has not played in the 2021-22 campaign after he underwent surgery on his right ankle prior to the season. When he is healthy, Ariza will give the Lakers another veteran that is one of the better defenders on the team.
The defensive-minded wing was a valuable piece for Miami last season, as he averaged 9.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 28.0 minutes per game. He started 27 of the 30 games that he appeared in for the Heat and shot 41.1 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from beyond the arc.
The Lakers are starting to turn things around after a slow start, as they have won three games in a row heading into Friday’s matchup.
The team is now 16-13 on the season and is hoping to welcome Ariza and eventually Kendrick Nunn into the rotation.
The Lakers and Timberwolves are scheduled to tip off on Friday night at 7 p.m. PST.
