On Sunday, the Los Angeles Lakers ruled Ziaire Williams out against the Toronto Raptors because of a left foot injury.
Lakers insider and analyst Jovan Buha was among the first to report that Williams’ status was downgraded from questionable to out.
“The Lakers have downgraded Ziaire Williams (left foot injury management) to out for tonight’s game against Toronto,” Buha tweeted.
Williams has now missed three straight games because of the injury, which is a cause for concern among Lakers fans.
The forward started in the first four games of the season, averaging 11.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals. He’s shooting 57.1 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Lakers Issue Update on Ziaire Williams
Speaking to reporters in his pregame media availability, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked about Ziaire Williams and his injury.
Redick confirmed that imaging on Williams’ foot came out clean, and they are just being cautious with their 25-year-old forward.
“The images have been clean,” Redick said. “I would describe it, I guess, as soreness that just pops up in the morning. He’s feeling a lot better. I think just being, again, cautious with the back-to-back.”
The Toronto Raptors matchup on Saturday is the first game of a back-to-back. The Lakers face the Miami Heat on Monday as the entire league takes a holiday on November 3 for Election Day.
Who Steps Up?
In the Lakers’ past two games, Jake LaRavia has stepped into Ziaire Williams’ role in the starting lineup.
LaRavia is averaging 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks in those two games. He’s shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. He likely starts against the Raptors again.
Another player who needs to step up is Quentin Grimes, who is having a rough start to his Lakers career. Grimes is averaging just 9.0 points in his first six games, primarily coming off the bench.
Lakers This Season
The Los Angeles Lakers began the season with a dominant win over the Golden State Warriors. They followed it up with two more victories against the LA Clippers and Utah Jazz before getting beaten by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers bounced back by taking down the Clippers again, but they blew a 25-point lead in their recent rematch against the Warriors in the NBA Cup.
They now face a Toronto Raptors team with a 3-2 record and without Kawhi Leonard.
Los Angeles Lakers Provide Clarity on Ziaire Williams Injury