One thing the Los Angeles Lakers have managed to do so far this season is stay healthy to a large extent. All their starters and main rotation players have played double digits in their first 13 games of the season.
There have been scares, including when Luka Doncic went down with an ankle sprain in their last fixture. However, the Slovenian superstar is reportedly feeling good and may be in contention for their next game.
Head coach JJ Redick will be delighted with that development and the overall look in the first weeks of the season. No serious injury has derailed the roster this season. According to ClutchPoints’ Alex House, Quentin Grimes seems to be the latest to shake off an injury scare after missing the last two games.
“Grimes said he expects to play in Sunday’s road matchup versus the Phoenix Suns, per David Mendez-Yapkowitz of ClutchPoints,” House wrote. “Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both dealing with their own injury issues coming out of Wednesday’s 123-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, so this positive development should be of great interest to fans.”
Grimes, 26, sprained a finger in his right hand against the Detroit Pistons on Nov, 8. He did not play against the Atlanta Hawks and the Bucks but could feature against the Suns after he returned to full active practice on Friday.
Lakers Star Offers Update on His Injury Return
Grimes has been the Laker with the most minutes outside of the Doncic, Reaves and Walker Kessler trio. He is not a full starter but has been trusted with significant minutes by Redick. Redick will be happy to have him back in the selection if he passes final checks before the game.
“It is not enough to be active, however. Expecting the Lakers’ top two scorers to carry the offensive load for the duration of the regular season and playoffs is not reasonable,” House added. “Guys like Grimes have to provide steady supplemental production. He filled that role for the Philadelphia 76ers, and head coach JJ Redick might ask him to do the same in L.A.”
Grimes was signed in the free agency market and he joined on a four-year $60 million contract. The Lakers added him as part of their first round of offseason business to add extra wing play. He is averaging 8.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Expected Team News After Latest Injury Updates
Both Doncic and Reaves are currently listed as questionable for the Phoenix road game. The two main stars went off in the fourth and third quarters respectively, with leg injuries with Reaves suffering a bruised left heel. Fortunately, scans indicated no major injury and he too could be in contention for Sunday.
Grimes is the other name on the questionable list but he could play. The likes of Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia and Matisse Thybulle are all cleared to play with no new injury to report.
Los Angeles will look to make it eight wins on the spin and maintain their top seed status in the West.
Lakers Star Guard Reveals Injury Return Date Before Sunday’s Matchup vs. Suns