D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Lakers Season has kicked off with a bang.
Through 23 games, the Lakers have already exceeded everyone’s expectations. TheLakers started 7-5 through the first 12 games, then the injury train rolled into town.
One by one the Lakers were being depleted from game to game. It started with D’Angelo Russell and his sore left knee which has now progressed to more serious treatment and an eleven game absence. The worst part of it was that it was only the beginning.
Following D’Angelo’s injury, four other players have gotten banged up and missed time. Larry Nance Jr, Nick Young, Jose Calderon and the latest victim, Tarik Black.
This could just be a string of bad luck for the Lakers, or maybe it is has become a consistent problem over the last few seasons. , the injury bug has plagued the team dating all the way back to Mike D’Antoni’s final season with the Lakers. Multiple different players but one common denominator.
Since the Lakers have parted ways with their former Strength and Conditioning Trainer Alex McKechnie and hired Tim DiFrancesco, things have not panned out for the Lakers the way they have liked. Now more than ever, the Lakers have been saddled with nagging injuries that seem to drag out the entire season.
In all fairness, he cannot control injuries like sprained ankles or cartilage tears but he is responsible for the preparation of the athletes and to help them avoid calf strains or pulled hamstrings.
So far this season the Lakers have already had eight different starting lineups. Maybe it is time for them to start looking into a new Strength and Conditioning coach so these reccurring issues stop becoming so frequent and detrimental to their season’s outcome.
by
Chris Rodriguez
Here’s the latest on D’Angelo Russell via Lakers Nation:
