With the Lakers in desperate need of more scoring, Nick Young appears to be eying a return to the lineup within the next week.
Nick young says he's targeting to play Tuesday in Atlanta. But not definitive
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 13, 2014
Young injured his hand during the preseason, which seems like ages ago. The original timetable was eight weeks, but this would be closer to six weeks for a return.
This couldn’t come at a better time for the Lakers, who continue to lack consistent scoring outside of Kobe Bryant. While Jeremy Lin and Jordan Hill have provided that boost at times, neither have done it on a consistent enough basis to help Bryant out.
If there’s one thing Young can do, it’s score the ball. He was arguably the best offensive player on last year’s team and many hoped for big things from him and Bryant this season together. If he can return before the end of the month, it would be a huge boost for the Lakers.
On top of getting Young back, sophomore Ryan Kelly could also be joining him in the lineup at an even earlier time.
Ryan Kelly is out again tonight, still recovering from the hamstring pull. Team’s hoping he can get back for Friday’s home game.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 12, 2014
Kelly has had setback after setback during the preseason and into the regular season. After straining his hamstring during training camp, he suffered a setback days before returning, which kept him out until last week.
In his return game against the Phoenix Suns, he suffered yet another setback, this time keeping him out for at least another week. Kelly has big expectations of him after signing a deal this summer to stay with the purple and gold.