How Lakers coach JJ Redick After Monday's practice after Monday's practice about the long list of players who would be on the daily roster for Tuesday night's game against Phoenix, he at least knew the center Deandre Ayton will return after missing two games with left elbow soreness.
Redick said Luka Doncic (left leg bruise) Austin Reeves (slight deformity of the left shin) and Rui Hachimura (soreness in the right groin) occur day after day. Gabe Vincent (lower back strain) is expected to be out longer, however.
Redick said Doncic was injured when he was kneed Clippers defenseman Bagdan Bogdanovich during Saturday's loss at the Intuit Dome.
Redick said that Lakers noticed that Doncic, who leads the NBA in scoring (34.1) and ranks fourth in assists (8.8), often gets hit in the shin during games.
“It might just be de se. I don't know,” Redick said, referring to the way Doncic slows down with the ball in his hands. “How does he use his body? I don't know. … We're talking about finding ways to potentially protect against these, sort of, collisions.”
Reeves, who ranks 10th in scoring with 27.8 points, has missed the last three games. He was at the shooting range Monday after practice and Redick was asked what his defenseman needs to get back into games.
“Given the nature of that area, I think that's when he feels 100 percent confident and doesn't feel any pain,” Redick said. “It's fun, guys. It's fun. It's fun. It's a fun day to talk about injuries.”
Redick said there was no real information about Hachimura's injury, but Ayton was a full participant in practice.
Ayton, who ranks second in the NBA in field goal percentage (71%) and averages 15.3 points and 9.0 rebounds, was asked if he played against his former team, the Suns. He averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds in his first two games.
“Definitely,” he said. “I'm straight. Definitely.”
