Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton said point guard Lonzo Ball and forward Kyle Kuzma will fill in for the suspended Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
The two second-year players were the natural candidates to fill in during the suspensions, as Ingram received a four-game suspension without pay after the league deemed him the instigator of the incident, while Rondo received three games for spitting in Rockets point man Chris Paul's face and swinging at him during Saturday's brawl.
This should prove a prime opportunity for Ball to regain his starting spot after being slowed by a knee surgery in the offseason, one he could get back by showing a steadier 3-point prowess and a renewed sense of confidence in his shot.
Kuzma has been a starting-caliber player who has helped the Lakers off the bench. While Ingram clearly has the higher upside in the eyes of the Lakers, this could potentially help Kuzma earn more minutes over the errant Lance Stephenson, as the latter hasn't helped his case much during this young season.
The interaction between Ball and Kuzma should be a pleasant one, given they shared ample time together during their rookie season and had a summer-long rapport between them to thrive in this offense.
Ultimately, both players will be judged in the same category: wins. Given their 0-2 record to start the season in a ruthless Western Conference that just doesn't get any easier as the days go on.
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