Los Angeles Lakers third-year forward Kyle Kuzma has been unable to shake off a lingering ankle issue that forced him to miss out on L.A.'s Wednesday night victory against the Orlando Magic. According to a recent report, the 24-year-old will remain on the sidelines for Friday's matchup against the Miami Heat as he continues to work his way back to fitness.
Kyle Kuzma (left ankle) remains out for the Heat game. Frank Vogel said Kuzma underwent a precautionary MRI which confirmed the ankle sprain. Vogel said Kuzma hasn’t been able to “get over the hump” with the ankle injury and the team wants to give him as much time needed to heal
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 13, 2019
It is worth noting that this is not a new injury, and that Kuzma has actually been playing through this issue for weeks now. As it turns out, the injury is more serious than originally anticipated, which has prompted the Lakers medical team to have their prized youngster sit out a couple of games until he is able to fully recover from the problem.
Considering how well the Lakers have been doing thus far, it would not be surprising if the team opt to hold out Kuzma for an extended period. There is absolutely no reason for them to force the former 27th overall pick to return without being a hundred percent healthy, and to risk aggravating this injury makes no sense at all.
Kuzma has seen his role on the squad reduced significantly this season. The arrival of Anthony Davis has had an adverse effect on his usage rate, with Kuzma currently averaging career-low numbers with 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 3-pointers in 23.1 minutes off the Lakers bench. Nevertheless, L.A. have been off to one of their best starts in franchise history with the team currently in possession of a league-best 22-3 record.
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