Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell could be back on the court as soon as this weekend, coach Luke Walton told reporters. Russell, who has been sidelined with a knee injury and had platelet-rich plasma treatment on Nov. 23, was re-evaluated Tuesday and has been cleared to start doing on-court work, per the Los Angeles Times' Jesse Dougherty.
Walton said he'll know more about Russell's timetable once he's back on court. Said it's possible (not probable) Russell plays this weekend.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) December 6, 2016
According to the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli, the Lakers are targeting a return date of next Monday against the Sacramento Kings. The night before that, they host the New York Knicks at Staples Center.
Without Russell, Los Angeles has leaned on Lou Williams, Jose Calderon, Jordan Clarkson and Marcelo Huertas for playmaking. Calderon, however, is now out two to four weeks with a strained right hamstring. With him out of the lineup, Walton elected to get weird, starting Metta World Peace in Monday's 107-101 loss to the Utah Jazz and moving 6-foot-9 rookie Brandon Ingram to point guard.
Russell's absence has coincided with the Lakers losing some of their early-season luster. They have dropped eight of their last 11 games, including a 118-110 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls where Russell attempted to play but was clearly not himself. When he comes back, he should give his team a significant boost on the offensive end.
