Getty Los Angeles Lakers guard Lance Stephenson
The Los Angeles Lakers have been unable to avoid the injury bug this season, and things took another turn ahead of their game against the Golden State Warriors Monday. While LeBron James and Rajon Rondo are already sidelined, they were joined by starting point guard Lonzo Ball after an ankle injury against the Houston Rockets this past weekend.
As the NBA revealed, Ball’s injury was revealed to be a Grade-3 left ankle sprain and he’ll be sidelined anywhere from four to six weeks. Although Rondo, who’s dealing with a hand injury, should be back in the near future, the loss of Ball is a brutal blow, as he was playing well as of late.
Beyond that, James’ timeline is a major question mark still, but as Mike Trudell of the Lakers revealed, he was able to do 5-on-5 non-contact work on Monday.
Luke Walton said LeBron James got up and down the court a little bit yesterday, did some 5-on-5 non-contact work.
With the Lakers shorthanded against the Warriors, we’re going to take a look at their current roster and starting lineup. Beyond that, there’s been an update on the team’s potential interest in Carmelo Anthony, who was recently traded to the Chicago Bulls, so we’ll dive into that as well.
Lakers Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Warriors
| Position | Expected Starter | Backup | |
| Center | Tyson Chandler | Ivica Zubac | JaVale McGee |
| Power Forward | Kyle Kuzma | Michael Beasley | Moritz Wagner |
| Small Forward | Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk | |
| Shooting Guard | Josh Hart | Alex Caruso | |
| Point Guard | Brandon Ingram | Lance Stephenson | Isaac Bonga |
It’s worth noting that there’s a bit that could change about this lineup prior to tip. As Matthew Moreno of Lakers Nation detailed, head coach Luke Walton revealed Brandon Ingram will start at point guard but hasn’t decided who will start in Lonzo Ball’s spot.
Luke Walton said Brandon Ingram will start at point guard tonight. Lakers haven’t decided who will move into the lineup with Lonzo Ball out.
Svi Mykhailiuk is one option being considered.
Regardless of how that plays out, Josh Hart is set to see big minutes with the Lakers being short on guards. This will also likely lead to Lance Stephenson playing a decent amount of point guard and seeing his workload increase as well. Both players will be needed to log a fair amount of minutes and provide a scoring punch with all the injuries.
Finally, whether Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk starts or not, this is a big opportunity for the rookie second-round pick. He’s averaged 10.2 minutes over 33 games this year while adding 3.1 points per game and shooting 34 percent from the field. Mykhailiuk’s outside shooting could be needed in a matchup with the loaded Warriors roster.
Latest on Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumblings
In an interesting turn of events on Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that the Houston Rockets traded Anthony to the Chicago Bulls. He followed that up by reporting that the veteran forward will not play for his new team, who will either waive or trade him prior to the deadline.
Carmelo Anthony will not play a game for the Bulls, but it is possible that franchise holds off on waiving him until the trade deadline, league sources tell ESPN. Bulls could include him in a one-for-one trade, but can’t aggregate his contract in another deal.
This is where things got interesting, as Wojnarowski proceeded to reveal that the Lakers do indeed have interest in Anthony. The problem is that the team does not want to waive a guaranteed player in order to add him.
Sources: The Lakers maintain interest in Anthony, but do not want to waive a guaranteed player to create a roster spot for him, league sources tell ESPN. If a roster spot eventually opens with LA, yes, the Lakers are a possible destination for Anthony.
It’s an understandable outlook for the Lakers, especially considering the bulk of their guaranteed contracts are players who have some level of value. This includes both value for the team’s long-term future and/or potentially in a trade bigger than one which would bring Anthony to town.
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