Even though Los Angeles Lakers point guard Steve Blake was initially supposed to be sidelined for three weeks due to a foot injury, the guard was back on the court practicing 10 days after the incident. It was thought that Blake would miss some time after suffering a deep puncture wound in his left foot, but ESPN writes that he missed just two days of training camp as he was cleared for full participation.
“The kid’s just tough as nails,” Lakers coach Mike Brown said. “I don’t know if he’ll ever get out of shape. He only knows one way to play, which is hard, and he’s worked extremely hard on his game this summer. Watching him, you couldn’t tell that this was his first practice. He was Steve Blake.”
Blake, now 32, will be the primary back-up for starting point guard Steve Nash. Blake has proven that he can run this Lakers offense well and at times, he can be lethal from behind the arc. Although he has been fairly inconsistent with the Lakers, the team will be using him quite often this upcoming season.
The Lakers do have other back-up point guards, but at this point it is expected that Blake will get the bulk of the minutes. Nash is capable of playing the majority of basketball games, but Blake can provide him some much needed rest. Health will be key for the Lakers in the 2012-13 season, and Blake can really help this team if he is 100 percent.
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