Lakers' Timofey Mozgov practicing again with Russia after groin injury scare
This is good news for Los Angeles
•
1 min read
A lot of people were alarmed when Timofey Mozgov signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers as soon as free agency started. When healthy, he's a capable starting center, but he was nowhere near healthy in 2015-16 and found himself completely out of the Cleveland Cavaliers' rotation in the playoffs. It was not encouraging, then, when Mozgov hurt his groin while playing an exhibition game with the Russian national team last week.
Good news: The injury does not appear to be serious. The Lakers say that their new starting center is already practicing with the Russia again, and he is no longer in any pain, per the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner. They also said that Mozgov is not restricted from playing in any more games. Russia's next game is Friday against Poland.
The Lakers made a big investment in Mozgov, and it could prove to be a fair deal. In 2014-15, he was an important part of a team that made it to the NBA Finals. He anchored Cleveland's defense and finished at a high rate on the inside. Part of the reason the Lakers were criticized, though, was that they were taking a risk. Mozgov is 30 years old and, for the next four years, they need him to be as productive as he was when he first joined the Cavs. Here's hoping the rest of his summer goes smoothly.
