Lakers News: Darvin Ham Provides Update On Lonnie Walker’s Injury Timeline
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has supplied an update on the recovery timeline of starting swingman Lonnie Walker IV, who has been out since December 28th with left knee tendinitis.
Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Ham has revealed that the Lakers are set to reassess Walker's knee tomorrow and will update his recovery timeline following that.
Walker, who was signed to a one-year, $6.5 million mid-level exception this summer, has been a key part of the Lakers' rotation when healthy. Through 32 contests this season, the 24-year-old out of the University of Miami is averaging 14.7 points on a .455/.384/.875 slash line, 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.8 steals a night.
The 6'4" wing has alternately been started at the shooting guard and small forward spots at varying points this season. The hyper-athletic fourth-year pro has proven to be one of LA's better two-way options along the perimeter, a welcome source of long-range shooting (that 38.4% three-point rate comes on a high-volume 5.4 tries per game) on a club notably bereft of that.
Walker could be one of the Lakers' better trade assets at the February 9th deadline, but he probably provides more valuable to LA's roster than he would on a better club, where he projects more as an energy-changing reserve than a starting logging 29.3 minutes per.
