The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Josh Hart against the Sacramento Kings on Monday night as he suffered an ankle sprain against the Boston Celtics.
The Los Angeles Lakers have not had as strong a summer league as many people thought that they would. Heading into the Las Vegas Summer League, the Lakers were one of the favorites to take home the championship. Things have not gone according to plan.
One of the reasons for the Lakers struggles has been on the defensive end. They are not getting many stops as opposing teams are scoring almost at will against them. Brice Johnson had a big game for the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game, while rookies Jayson Tatum and Semi Ojeyele dominated for the Boston Celtics in Game two.
Brice Johnson had a big game for the Los Angeles Clippers in the first game, while rookies Jayson Tatum and Semi Ojeyele dominated for the Boston Celtics in Game two.
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Another reason for the Lakers struggles is continuity. Practice time leading up to the summer league is already limited enough. Finding cohesion is difficult in such a short period of time, but it is even more difficult when your lineup is changing because of injuries.
The Lakers have lost a player in each game thus far. In the first game, Brandon Ingram suffered from cramps and was removed from the game, missing overtime. Ingram was subsequently shut down for the remainder of the summer. Now Ingram will be joined by Josh Hart.
Hart, the 30th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, saw his minutes increase in the second game with Ingram sidelined. He was inserted into the starting lineup and responded with a good game.
Against the Celtics, Hart finished with 15 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in 30 minutes.
Unfortunately for Hart, he was injured in the fourth quarter on a drive to the basket. The pain was too much to bear, and Hart asked to come out of the game.
Josh Hart took a fall, and he's limping. He's asking to be taken out.
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) July 9, 2017
Hart was diagnosed with a sprained ankle. The severity of the injury has not been revealed, but the Lakers are not taking any chances. Hart has already been ruled out of the Lakers’ game on Monday night against the Sacramento Kings. Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet reported the news on his Twitter.
Lakers rookie Josh Hart has been ruled out for tomorrow night’s game due to the sprained right ankle he suffered vs. Boston on Saturday.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 10, 2017
After not getting many minutes in the first game against the Lakers, Hart saw his role increase greatly with Ingram sidelined. He responded with a strong game, but now will presumably have his summer league cut short.
There is no reason for the Lakers to push Hart in an exhibition game in July. While the experience would be nice to have, these games do not count for anything. If a team has any reason to pull a player out of a game, they are going to express caution and do it.
Next: 4 Lakers With Something To Prove In Summer League
With Hart sidelined, the Lakers will have to dig deeper into their summer league roster. Expect David Nwaba to receive a boost in playing time. Undrafted free agent P.J. Dozier should also receive his first extended run of the summer league; he played only three minutes the first two games.