It was announced on Thursday that the Los Angeles Lakers are assigning Thomas Bryant and Ivica Zubac to its G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.
Bryant last saw time on the court against the New York Knicks on Sunday, when he logged one minute and knocked down a three-pointer. Zubac also received one minute of playing time during the contest, though he didn’t register a single shot.
The South Bay Lakers figure to benefit with the returns of Bryant and Zubac, who are expected to be in uniform for Friday’s home game against the Windy City Bulls at the UCLA Health Training Center.
In 20 games for South Bay, Bryant has averaged 20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 29.9 minutes on the floor. He has made 60.2 percent of his baskets while shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc.
Zubac has appeared in eight games for South Bay and is averaging 21.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and over two blocks per game over 30.8 minutes on the court. The second-year center is also knocking down 63.4 percent of his shots.
The Lakers remain packed in the front court with Brook Lopez, Julius Randle, Kyle Kuzma, and Larry Nance Jr. taking up the minutes so even though both have been productive in the G-League, it is difficult to free up minutes for them on the main roster.
Additionally, with starting point guard Lonzo Ball still injured, it is more important to have an extra guard suiting up.
With roughly two weeks until the NBA Trade Deadline, the Lakers have temporarily freed up two roster spots with the assignments of Bryant and Zubac to South Bay.
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