Lakers News: New Starting Lineup For Latest Wizards-Lakers Injury Report
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It appears that Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will be making a change to his starting lineup -- but not the change that fans have been hoping for just yet.
Dennis Schröder has been slotted as a starter for L.A.'s 3 p.m. game against the Washington Wizards, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
Though some among us (including yours truly) perhaps optimistically speculated that this could finally, mercifully put an end to poor-shooting veteran guard Patrick Beverley's run as a starter, that is not the case. Trudell reports that Ham will instead start the 6'1" Beverley alongside the 6'3" Schroder for a tiny starting backcourt, alongside incumbents Lonnie Walker IV, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis, meaning that previous starting small forward Troy Brown Jr. is the recent starter being demoted, not Beverley.
Per the league's latest injury report, James (who had been listed as questionable with a sore left ankle) is indeed available to play against Washington.
As luck would have it, this is the healthiest this Los Angeles team has been in a while, with only two-way rookies Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider out as they continue to put in reps with L.A.'s El Segundo NBAGL affiliate club, the South Bay Lakers (I liked them more when they were called the Los Angeles D-Fenders, but what can ya do?).
The Wizards, meanwhile, have a few absences of their own. Reserve power forward Rui Hachimura (sore right ankle) and key defensive-oriented guard Delon Wright (strained right hamstring) are both sidelined. Two-way player Devon Dotson is with the Wizards' G League team, the Capital City Go-Go, as are developing players Vernon Carey Jr., 2022 lottery pick Johnny Davis, and power forward Isaiah Todd.
Tune in on Spectrum SportsNet as Russell Westbrook and Kyle Kuzma take on their respective old stomping grounds.
