Lakers Injury Update: Moritz Wagner Cleared For Non-Contact Drills

Matthew Moreno
2 Min Read


In a break from their traditional approach to manning the center position, the Los Angeles Lakers are expected to rely on some combination of JaVale McGee and Moritz Wagner, and Michael Beasley and Kyle Kuzma in small-ball lineups.

However, Wagner, who the Lakers selected with the 25th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, has been grounded before he could ever gain much traction. A knee contusion suffered during Las Vegas Summer League lingered into the offseason and kept Wagner off the court for preseason.

“It impacted me in a way that I was limited on the court to a certain extent,” Wagner previously said of his injury. “Obviously it’s frustrating, but it’s part of it. I’m very excited to get healthy fully and get this started.”

Wagner has since begun some activity as the Lakers close in on tipping off the season this week. “He can do non-contact in practice and more of a controlled setting, contact 3-on-3 type of thing,” head coach Luke Walton said.

“He’s got to start getting his wind back and knock off some of the rust. He did all the non-contact stuff.”

Considering the Lakers are cautiously bringing Wagner back, coupled with the time off, he presumably is at least a couple weeks away from potentially seeing time on the court.

Wagner averaged 14.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in three California Classic Games. Then averaged 10.3 points and 8.0 rebounds in three Las Vegas Summer League games.

Want to get your content COMPLETELY AD FREE? Follow us on Apple News!

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com