Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve Kyle Kuzma, who will reportedly be sidelined at least one week with a sprained ankle.
Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors have not been great. With all of the losing the team is doing on the court, things have gotten ugly in recent weeks for the purple and gold.
Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers may have been the final nail in their playoff coffin. The Lakers‘ record now sits at 30-34, 4.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Not only did the Lakers lose a crucial game to the Clippers on Monday, they also lost another player to injury. Brandon Ingram sat out the game with a sore shoulder and was joined by fellow young core member Kyle Kuzma by the end of it.
Kuzma suffered his ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the game. He underwent an x-ray, which came back negative. That is a positive development, but he was still going to undergo an MRI just to make sure.
The MRI, according to Mike Trudell, confirmed a sprained ankle.
However, Kuzma has already been ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Tania Ganguli shared the update on her Twitter account.
Lakers say Kyle Kuzma is out for tomorrow. He will get an MRI. His X-Rays were negative on his sprained right ankle. Brandon Ingram, Tyson Chandler and Lance Stephenson are questionable.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) March 5, 2019
With their playoff hopes hanging on by a thread with only 18 games remaining, this latest injury may be the final blow. With Lonzo Ball already sidelined and Ingram not battling a shoulder ailment, the Lakers are without three key rotation players.
According to Sports Illustrated, Kuzma could be sidelined at least one week because of the ankle injury.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is expected to miss up to one week after suffering an ankle injury on Mondayhttps://t.co/bTBlkXoEd9
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 6, 2019
The only true positive about this injury is that it is less severe than Ball’s. Lonzo suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain and bone bruise all the way back on Jan. 19. He has yet to return to the court and does not have a timetable or date set.
If the team hopes to make any sort of run at the postseason, they will need Kuzma back on the court ASAP. The schedule is not getting any easier, as the Lakers host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday before hosting the Boston Celtics on Saturday.
Following that, the Lakers embark on a five-game Eastern Conference road trip. With the current timetable provided, Kuzma will more than likely miss the games against the Nuggets, Celtics and Chicago Bulls.
Wednesday, March 13th against the Toronto Raptors, is probably the earliest we will see Kuzma back on the court.