One of the biggest things that plagued the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2021-22 season was injuries as they constantly had key guys in and out of the lineup from the first game on.
The Lakers are looking to avoid that same fate this year, although they are not off to a great start in the preseason with Anthony Davis, Lonnie Walker IV and Troy Brown Jr. among the players already dealing with minor injuries.
Davis and Walker have since returned to the lineup, but Brown has still yet to suit up for the Lakers in the preseason due to a back injury.
In fact, Brown’s injury is expected to keep him out through at least the season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Oct. 18, via Dan Woike of the L.A. Times:
Troy Brown Jr. won’t be ready for the season opener as he recovers from a back injury, Darvin Ham said. TBJ went through a good individual workout pregame today in Golden State but still needs to progress to taking contact.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 9, 2022
Brown going through an individual workout before Sunday night’s preseason game against the Warriors is a good sign that he is making progress. L.A. will wait until he is 100% healthy before activating him though to avoid it being a lingering issue.
Given the Lakers’ lack of wing defense and shooting, the hope is that Brown will be able to fill that role whenever he can play. The team is very deep in the backcourt though so he will face an uphill battle to get minutes upon returning considering he will miss all of training camp and the preseason.
Schroder expected to ‘fully integrate’ himself with Lakers starting Monday
One other player that Lakers fans have yet to see this preseason is Dennis Schroder as it took a while for him to get a visa issue sorted out to enter the country.
Schroder is now back in L.A. though and is expected to be with the team starting Monday, which could give him enough time to play in the final two preseason games to be ready for Opening Night.
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