Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell who had sore knees earlier this week is getting worse. He will miss at least two weeks to recover after receiving injection to his knee.
Russell was having the procedure to have a platelet-rich plasma injection in his sore left knee as reported by ESPN. The PRP injection procedure was conducted by Dr. Steve Yoon on Wednesday. Russel will be re-evaluated within a week to ensure the procedure works..
Following the procedure, he will miss at least two weeks of the game. Which means Lakers will face Golden State Warriors without him. The Lakers expect his knee problem will get better after the procedure.
He has already missed the 107-116 loss against San Antonio Spurs on Friday last week. Two days later, Chicago Bulls defeated the Lakers 118-110 with a phenomenal performance by the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler posting 40 points. Lakers recovered on Tuesday Nov. 22 to defeat Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City Thunder 111-109.
They will face the strong opponent from Bay Area, the Golden State Warriors which will betheir toughest opponent. Lakers will have to play without their main point guard Russell and forward Julius Randle as reported by CBS Sports. Head coach Luke Walton depends on Russell to play agressive game, therefore without him, the Lakers will not be able to repeat their game when defeated the Warriors earlier this month.
"We want him to push and be aggressive,” Walton said before the procedure. “If that's the case where it hurts, then we need to shut him down until he's healthy.”
The 20-year old player was selected as second overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Lakers. He showed his good play in his first season in Los Angeles, averaging 13.2 points and 3.3 assists per game.
This season, Russell plays more aggressively. He suits very well with the Walton’s system and he averages 16.0 points and 4.9 assists in the 26.8 minutes per game
Watch the amazing performance of Russel as he put up 32 points and 7 three-pointers against Memphis Grizzlies from NBA channel below: