5. Injuries arise again
The Los Angeles Lakers have been hit hard by injuries and we are barely two weeks into the season. Even before the regular season got underway, the team was dealing with injuries.
Rookie Talen Horton-Tucker was dealing with a stress reaction during the pre-draft process and we have yet to see him on the court. Kyle Kuzma suffered a stress reaction of his own during Team USA training camp but returned against the Mavericks. DeMarcus Cousins tore his ACL in August. Jordan Caroline injured his foot and was waived. Rajon Rondo has yet to appear in a regular season game with a sore calf.
Not an ideal start for the Lakers in the injury department and another player was added to the list during the road trip. Starting guard Avery Bradley suffered an injury against the San Antonio Spurs and missed the game against the Bulls.
Bradley is an important part of the Lakers’ rotation. He helps take some ball-handling pressure off of LeBron James in the starting five and is a strong defensive player. If he is out for an extended period of time, expect Alex Caruso to see his minutes expand, especially as long as Rondo is sidelined.