The Los Angeles Lakers will be playing the Minnesota Timberwolves in their preseason opener on Friday. However, they will be without three players.
Even though it feels like just yesterday that the Los Angeles Lakers were winning the Summer League Title, the preseason is already here for the 2017-18 season.
After what looks like a great offseason on paper for the Lakers, many are really excited to see what’s to come this season. While the Western Conference is arguably better than it has ever been, that hasn’t changed the Lakers’ goal of making the playoffs this season.
With a lot of new faces on the Lakers, training camp has been used to help players grow chemistry together. Since some of the younger players on the Lakers did play in the Summer League together, they have a little feel for each other.
Due to the preseason and training camp being short this season, all of these days are really important for the Lakers. According to Serena Winters of LakersNation.com, the Lakers are going to be without three players against the Timberwolves. Even though Lopez and Hart are both out, they have been cleared for contact.
Brook Lopez and Josh Hart have been cleared for half-court contact, but both are OUT for tomorrow's game.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 29, 2017
Seeing Brook Lopez, Josh Hart, and Andrew Bogut all out for the preseason opener isn’t shocking. Lopez has been dealing with a lingering back problem, and the Lakers are going to be extra careful with their starting center. In addition to the Lopez injury, Hart has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has kept him from doing some things in camp. For Bogut, he is healthy but just doesn’t have his visa yet.
Additionally, Andrew Bogut will not play tomorrow (visa), but is expected to re-join the team.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 29, 2017
With both Lopez and Bogut out against the Timberwolves, this will be a huge opportunity for Ivica Zubac to get extra minutes. After a really disappointing Summer League, Zubac has worked extremely hard since then to earn a spot and a role on this team.
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Even though the Lakers are down a few players, it will still be great to see this team on the court on Saturday night. The Timberwolves also had a very good offseason, and this should be a fun matchup.