LOS ANGELES — D’Angelo Russell’s twisted right ankle has gone from something the guard called “pretty unlucky” in the first quarter of the first game back from the All-Star break to a concern that has kept him out of four games in a row.
But the Lakers have hope that they could get their starting point guard back for Sunday’s game against the Golden State Warriors.
Coach Darvin Ham said Friday before tip-off against Minnesota that Russell, 27, is progressing from his sprained ankle, scrimmaging with the Lakers’ “stay ready” group of fringe and non-rotation players.
“We don’t want to have a guy go from not playing an NBA game to throwing him back out there,” Ham said. “There’s steps such as play groups that we have to see how he responds to that, how his body responds, specifically his ankle. So we’ll go through that, and he’s in the process of doing all of that.”
Russell’s return would provide playmaking and shooting for a team needing both in the wake of LeBron James’ right foot injury, which will keep him off the court for at least three weeks. Russell averaged 13.5 points and 5 assists in his first four games with the Lakers, and he is shooting 39% from 3-point range this season, including his time with Minnesota.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said of Russell: “D’Lo was really important to our midseason turnaround where we righted the ship a little bit – he had a hell of a six-week stretch.”
There are about five weeks left in the Lakers’ season, and they now know James will miss the majority of them. But Ham said the timeline, which the team released on Thursday, doesn’t change their mindset to make the playoffs, and the urgency to earn a spot won’t affect how they handle James’ injury.
“If it wasn’t for him and his play, we wouldn’t be this close to have a chance to improve going forward,” Ham said. “So just want him to take his time and be aligned with the medical staff, and do what he needs to do to get back as quickly as possible. So the guys know everybody – we have to step up, all of us.”
TIMBERWOLVES FACE FORMER PLAYERS
In a funny quirk of the schedule, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley could play the Minnesota Timberwolves as much as five times this season – NBA teams only play each other four times at most during the regular season.
But the duo – who played in Minnesota for three seasons together – have already played the Timberwolves three times when they were with the Utah Jazz, and the Lakers have them on the schedule twice after the All-Star break. That might have been what Finch had in mind when he deadpanned about seeing them again.
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“Seems like every other week we’re playing against Vando and Beas,” he quipped.
But the two, who were traded to Utah in the offseason as part of the deal for center Rudy Gobert, have happy memories with the franchise, including helping them make the postseason last spring. Finch called it “surreal” to see three of his players from last season (and Russell from this season) on the opposing roster – if Russell had been healthy, all three 2021-22 Timberwolves would have started.
Finch said of Beasley “I know how hot he can get” from behind the arc, and he was particularly complimentary of Vanderbilt’s defensive versatility.
“He can guard oftentimes four guys out there – his switching is particularly outstanding,” Finch said. “End of games, it’s really important. He gets steals, he gets 50-50 balls, super physical. He’s a possessions guy, he gets you offensive rebounds. All of that stuff is invaluable.”