The Los Angeles Lakers concluded their final training camp practice before the start of the preseason Friday, as they are set to open up their six-game slate Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Honda Center in Anaheim.
While they still have a lot to work on, head coach Luke Walton covered a lot in the four days of training camp, with most of the focus being on defense as the Lakers struggled greatly on that end of the floor last season.
Not all guys have been able to participate in a lot of the drills though, as projected starting center Brook Lopez has been out with a back injury and rookie Josh Hart has been dealing with a hamstring issue.
According to Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters, both have officially been ruled out for Saturday’s opener:
Brook Lopez and Josh Hart have been cleared for half-court contact, but both are OUT for tomorrow's game.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 29, 2017
Another player who hasn’t been present at practice is Australian native Andrew Bogut. He also won’t be playing Saturday as he continues to deal with his work visa issue:
Additionally, Andrew Bogut will not play tomorrow (visa), but is expected to re-join the team.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) September 29, 2017
With Lopez out, Larry Nance Jr. will likely take his place in the starting lineup as he has been working a lot with the other starters the past couple of days. Additionally, with both Lopez and Bogut out, young centers Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant should get plenty of opportunities to show what improvements they’ve made this summer.
While there is still plenty of training camp left to prove what he can do, missing a game is tough for the rookie Hart as he is currently battling for backup guard rotation minutes. Tyler Ennis, Vander Blue and Alex Caruso could get some time in his place.
Although they haven’t been cleared for the opener, both Lopez and Hart have been cleared for half-court contact drills.