Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is out indefinitely with a foot injury and will reportedly undergo an MRI when the Purple and Gold return from China.
According to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet, the Lakers provided an update on Kuzma's stress reaction in his left foot he suffered while he was playing for USA Basketball and noted he is not yet cleared for games or full practice.
The Lakers' first preseason game is Oct. 5 against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, but they will be in China shortly afterward to play the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12. Trudell said the team will return that weekend and then Kuzma will undergo the MRI.
The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 22 against the LA Clippers.
Having its 2018-19 minutes leader in Kuzma being sidelined would obviously be bad news for a Lakers team already thought to be pretty low on quality depth. Kuzma averaged 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists with a .546 true shooting percentage in 33.1 minutes per game last year.
The lone member of the Lakers’ talented young core still on the roster following the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis, fans are hoping that Kuzma can be the final member of a three-headed monster made up of himself, Davis, and LeBron James.
The Lakers also announced that rookie guard Talen Horton-Tucker continues to receive treatment for a stress reaction in his right foot and will have limited participation in training camp.
Rookie forward Jordan Caroline underwent foot surgery on his fifth metatarsal on Sept. 6, the Lakers said. He is expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks.
While it is never good for a young player to go down with injury during the offseason, it seems as though Kuzma will indeed suit up in the 2019-20 season. For the moment, it’s just not entirely clear when.
