D'Angelo Russell Injury: Updates on Lakers Star's Ankle and Return

D'Angelo Russell suffered a right ankle injury in the Los Angeles Lakers' 118-115 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Thursday night.Continue for updates.Injury Could Keep Russell Out vs. Oklahoma City Thunder on FridayFriday, Jan. 8According to Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell, the X-rays on Russell's ankle were negative, and the team considers the injury to be a "moderate" sprain.Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reported Russell was visibly limping in the Lakers locker room after the game. According to the Los Angeles Daily News' Mark Medina, Russell isn't experiencing significant pain but couldn't say definitively whether he'll be able to play in Los Angeles' next game.The loss served as a microcosm of the 19-year-old's first season in the league. He finished with a career-high 27 points, adding two rebounds and four assists. But not only did his performance come in a losing effort, but Russell also came away from the game with an injury.It's too early to call Russell a disappointment, though the team expected more from him. Entering Thursday, he was averaging 11.6 points and 3.4 assists per game.His struggles are a combination of his own doing39.4 percent shooting and 2.3 turnovers a gameand factors outside of his control, such as head coach Byron Scott'squizzical handling of his first-round draft pick, especially earlier in the year.Russell is making progress, which makes the timing of the injury more frustrating. Plus, Lakers fans don't want to see another rookie go down after Julius Randle suffered a season-ending leg injury in his first game last year.As long as Russell's injury isn't a long-term issue, the Lakers won't be too concerned. They're not playoff contenders, and they have two playersJordan Clarkson and Lou Williamswho can fill in at point guard to make up for Russell's absence.
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