As of right now, the Los Angeles Lakers appear to be headed in the right direction with two consecutive wins and the offense firing on all cylinders. The only major concerns moving forward are injuries to Steve Blake, Steve Nash and Mike D’Antoni’s recovery from knee replacement surgery.
Nash’s return is reportedly still a week away as he tries to get back to form after suffering the leg fracture earlier in the season. D’Antoni on the other hand is hoping to make his coaching debut for the Lakers in Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets at Staples Center.
As for Blake, the backup point guard is still nursing a strained abdomen and has been listed as day-to-day according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin via Twitter:
Steve Blake is still day-to-day with his strained abdomen. Don’t know if he’ll play against Brooklyn yet.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 19, 2012
Once Blake is good to go, the NBA journeyman might have a battle on his for the backup role behind Nash in the backcourt. Second-year guard Darius Morris has begun to flourish in the new style of offense that appears to compliment his game.
Morris is coming off his best performance as a Laker with a career-high 12 points to go along with five assists and two steals. The former Michigan standout has struggled to make an impression ever since being drafted by the Lakers last year, but may be coming into his own with his averages on the rise. Morris is currently averaging 6.4 points and 2.9 assists per game this season.