Following a successful 2019 NBA preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for their 2019-20 NBA season opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 22.
While LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the supporting cast showed what they can eventually become, Los Angeles did deal with injuries before and during the preseason.
As it currently stands, all of the attention is on Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso. As Kuzma is working his way back from a stress reaction in his left foot, Caruso exited the team’s final preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.
After additional testing, Caruso is listed as day-to-day with a bone contusion in his pelvis now, according to Lakers:
After additional testing, Alex Caruso (bone contusion, pelvis) is considered day-to-day.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 20, 2019
As for Kuzma, he will not play Opening Night:
Kyle Kuzma (stress reaction) will not play in Tuesday’s season opener.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 20, 2019
With Kuzma being cleared for non-contact basketball activities on Oct. 15, this is not a surprising development. Head coach Frank Vogel recently shared he was moving past ‘Paul George workouts’ and toward contact on Oct. 18.
And for Caruso, this is good news considering he did not return following the first quarter. After a nice finish at the rim, Caruso landed hard on the floor and attempted to stay on the court before shortly committing an intentional foul.
Since the Lakers are championship contenders, the goal is to be relatively healthy from April to June. As a result, it makes sense to not rush Kuzma and Caruso back.
As witnessed during the six preseason games, one of the team’s greatest strengths is their depth. With Jared Dudley likely backing up Davis, Vogel has numerous options with Avery Bradley, Rajon Rondo, and Quinn Cook at point guard.
Although Paul George is expected to miss some time, the Opening Night game between the Lakers and Clippers should still be electric for the city of Los Angeles.