Los Angeles Lakers Blog – Page 31 – NBA Blog

Lonzo Ball will remain Lakers starting PG

Lonzo Ball is a very promising NBA rookie whose shot is in need of serious improvement. He’s been their starting point guard, and that will apparently continue, at least for now. Not a surprise, but still interesting now that it’s been confirmed by Lakers coach Luke Walton himself. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

Coach Luke Walton says rookie Lonzo Ball remains the Los Angeles Lakers’ starting point guard and that there is no talk of moving the No. 2 overall draft pick to the bench.

Struggling with his shot, Ball has not played in the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ past two games — a win against the Phoenix Suns and a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Walton instead rode with the strong play of sixth man Jordan Clarkson.

“He’s our starting point guard,” Walton said of Ball after practice Thursday. “So there’s no discussion, no talks as of now of moving Lonzo to the bench. Nah. He’s our starting point guard.”

Luol Deng remains out of Lakers rotation

The Lakers have been in a rebuilding state, and both their present and future is built around youth. That leaves little use for veteran forward Luol Deng. For more, here’s ESPN.com:

When Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. broke a bone in his left hand last week, there was a brief possibility the team might replace him in the starting lineup with veteran power forward Luol Deng.

Instead the Lakers started rookie Kyle Kuzma, who proceeded to put up double-doubles in both his starts. Kuzma has played so well, he may never come out of the starting lineup — even when Nance is ready to return in 4-6 weeks.

Deng remained right where he has been for most of the season — on the inactive list, while the Lakers prioritize developing their younger players over getting value out of the man they signed to a four-year, $72 million contract in the summer of 2016.

“It definitely hurts,” Deng told ESPN on Monday after the Lakers’ practiced. “But the only answer for me now is to prove myself away from L.A. I’m not asked to play, I’m not in the rotation, so I can’t prove myself here.”

Full article

Larry Nance Jr out with hand injury

Larry Nance Jr., who fractured the second metacarpal on his left hand in last night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, had successful surgery today to repair the fracture. The surgery was performed by Dr. Steven S. Shin.

Nance Jr. is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

The third-year pro started all eight games this season, with averages of 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game.

Lakers exercise options on Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr

The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised their team options for the 2018-19 season on Brandon Ingram and Larry Nance Jr., it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Ingram, the second overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft, appeared in 79 games (40 starts) as a rookie last season, averaging 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists, en route to All-Rookie Second Team honors. Ingram has started all three games this season, tallying 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 28.8 minutes.

Selected 27th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, Nance Jr. played in 126 games (29 starts) over the last two seasons, notching 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game. In three games (three starts) this season, Nance Jr. is averaging 11.3 points (.556 FG%), 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals in 22.0 minutes.

Lakers hire Antawn Jamison

The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Antawn Jamison as a pro scout, it was announced today.

Jamison will be based in Charlotte, NC and will primarily scout East Coast, Southeast and Midwest games. A two-time NBA All-Star and 16-year veteran, Jamison averaged 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 1,083 career games (864 starts) for the Warriors, Wizards, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Lakers and Clippers. Jamison will continue his role on Spectrum SportsNet as an analyst for the network’s Lakers coverage.

In addition, the Lakers have added Can Pelister to the scouting staff as an International Scouting Consultant.

Lakers sign Vander Blue to two-way contract

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed guard Vander Blue to a two-way contract, it was announced today by General Manager Rob Pelinka.

Blue played five games for the Lakers in the preseason and was a fixture on the team’s championship entry in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Per NBA rules, teams are permitted to have up to two players under two-way contracts on their roster at any given time, in addition to their 15-man regular season roster. As a two-way player, Blue can spend up to 45 days with the Los Angeles Lakers, not including any time prior to the start of the South Bay Lakers’ training camp or after the conclusion of their G League season.

The Lakers roster stands at 17, with Blue and Alex Caruso as two-way players.

Lakers waive Vander Blue, Travis Wear and Briante Weber

The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on Vander Blue, Travis Wear and Briante Weber.

Blue played in five preseason games and averaged 3.4 points, while Weber notched 3.0 points, 1.7 assists and 1.7 rebounds in three games played.

The Lakers roster stands at 16.

Lakers sign Travis Wear

The Los Angeles Lakers have signed forward Travis Wear, General Manager Rob Pelinka announced today.

Wear most recently was a member of the Lakers’ entry in the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, where he contributed 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists as Los Angeles won their first summer league championship. The 6-foot-10 forward played in 42 games (13 starts) for the South Bay Lakers last season, tallying 12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

The Lakers training camp roster stands at 19.

Lonzo Ball misses another game due to ankle sprain

The Lakers on Tuesday lost to the Jazz 105-99 in a preseason game. Rudy Gobert absolutely dominated Brook Lopez and finished with 29 points on 10-12 FG, with 13 rebounds, two blocks and a steal. But as for the Lakers, their preseason has mostly been without rookie guard Lonzo Ball. All eyes are on him, so it’s disappointing that we’ve seen little of him this exhibition season. Here’s ESPN.com with more:

The Lakers played without starting point guard Lonzo Ball, who missed his third game of the preseason with a sprained left ankle. Ball suffered the injury on Oct. 2 against the Denver Nuggets. He did not practice on Monday or participate in shootaround on Tuesday morning.

At Staples Center on Tuesday night, Ball went through some on-court ball handling and shooting drills with Lakers assistant Miles Simon. Ball had already been ruled out for the game, but the Lakers planned to see how his ankle felt after going through the workout to determine how to proceed.

“Let’s get him to practice, see how it feels tomorrow after doing whatever he did [Tuesday] and we will keep taking it day to day,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said.

Lakers waive V.J. Beachem and Stephen Zimmerman

The Los Angeles Lakers have requested waivers on forward V.J. Beachem and center Stephen Zimmerman.

Beachem scored two points with one assist in four minutes of play vs. Denver on October 4. Zimmerman tallied two points, one rebound and one assist in three minutes of action.

The Lakers training camp roster stands at 18.