The Los Angeles Lakers are not quite the most hit of the preseason (that’d be the Memphis Grizzlies), but they’re getting there. With their fourth preseason game of the year slated for Tuesday night against the Golden State Warriors (their first of two exhibition encounters with their Pacific Division nemeses), that’s less than ideal.
In addition to long-established preseason absentee big men Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood and Christian Koloko, ESPN’s latest NBA injury report — a compilation of sources that unpacks league-wide ailments for each squad — indicates that forward Armel Traore is dealing with swelling in his right hand.
Head coach JJ Redick informed Khobi Price of The Orange County Register that he’ll miss “around five days” of game action on Sunday, October 13, which also makes him a scratch for the rest of L.A.’s preseason.
Traore, a 6-foot-8 forward out of France, is inked to a two-way deal with Los Angeles. He has yet to appear in an NBA contest proper (i.e. non-preseason or Summer League) since going undrafted in 2022. Last year, the 21-year-old suited up for 33 contests (including 28 start) for LNB Élite club ADA Blois in France.
Traore averaged 10.8 points, 7.3 boards and 1.5 dimes. He has played in just two of the Lakers’ three preseason games, averaging 4.5 points (on 57.1 percent field goal shooting and 100 percent free throw shooting) and 2.5 rebounds.
Starting Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves, L.A.’s third-best player, has been day-to-day as he’s grappled with an ankle injury. He suited up for the non-contact portion of the club’s Saturday team practice. ESPN lists the 6-foot-5 swingman’s projected return date as Tuesday.
As for the other established injuries, Wood continues to recover from a left knee arthroscopic surgery in September and is hoping to return to the floor by early November, meaning he’ll miss a few weeks of action.
Koloko, a two-way signing and effectively Wood insurance, has yet to be cleared by the league to return from the blood clotting issues that kept him out all of last year. Vanderbilt, however is on the amend. Over the weekend, Redick suggested that Vanderbilt was in a “ramp up” phase of his recuperation.
On the Warriors side of the equation, only 2024 All-Rookie standout guard Brandin Podziesmki is expected to be absent. He broke his nose on Sunday in a matchup against the Detroit Pistons, and could return to the floor on October 18, in the Warriors’ and Lakers’ preseason finale.
