The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most prominent teams after the trade deadline. But there could be a bad fate following as it had been for the last two years. LA boosted their roster with a new addition to the team, which helped them aggregate their rotation. And the roster with more players has its own benefits, as was visible in the game against the Golden State Warriors. However, injuries could cause significant problems on their way to the playoff, and there is an important one who took the sidelines yesterday.
There is no denying that the Lakers have now entered a critical time that should make their every game a serious one. In the remaining season that LA has in their hand, every game should be treated with a must-win label. The Lakers are under .500 with a record of 27-32, and their seven games are against their own conference team. And the Western Conference is so tight that a few consecutive wins could bring them out of the bottom slumber. But are the Lakers fan and coach Darvin Ham delusional to still hope to qualify for the playoffs?
D’Angelo Russell Is Injured, But Ham’s Optimism Sees No End For The Lakers
The first-time head coach Darvin Ham is one of the most positive people on the team. His optimism even changed Russell Westbrook‘s flop season to the sixth man of the year contender. And he has done an exceptional job at leading the team with whatever he got from the front office. “Yeah, the goal is for us to come out and try to be the best version of ourselves each game,” said the head coach. But their hopes are seen forever dying as they injured their new point guard in the game against the Warriors.
Injuries and a lack of players in the squad have gone hand in hand with the Lakers this season. And yet again, when everyone thought the team could get back on track, D’Angelo Russell injured his ankle. According to reports, Russell sprained his ankle and never returned back to the court, and it is making fans nervous. Looking at his previous games, D’Angelo is one of the crucial parts of the team. He even settled and communicated well with the star player Anthony Davis who is having issues settling into the team. But most importantly, he came in place of Westbrook, who is healthy and has more chances of playing postseason now than the Lakers.
It would be a massive taut on the Lakers if Westbrook played the postseason leaving the team who wanted to get rid of him. But on a serious note, the young point guard’s injury will be a big blow to their playoff chance. Now the optimistic Ham will have to look for new ways of playing in the absence of Russell.