Lakers: Kendrick Nunn Not 'Close' to Playing Says Frank Vogel
For the Lakers, injuries have been a big part of their season. For guard Kendrick Nunn, it’s been the entire season. Nunn has been sidelined with a knee injury all year and according to head coach Frank Vogel, he’s not returning anytime soon.
According to Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation, Vogel provided a brief update on Nunn on Monday.
"Still not really ramped up where he's close to playing.”
It’s a disappointing turn in Nunn’s road to recovery. In early January, it was reported that he was “getting closer” to making his Lakers debut. Less than two weeks later, Nunn’s knee was apparently not responding well to an increase in basketball activities. Last week, Nunn reportedly told Vogel that he felt good following a workout.
Now, it’s important to keep in mind that NBA teams have been less than transparent about player injuries this season. Especially the Los Angeles Lakers. Recovery updates for both LeBron James and Anthony Davis have been intentionally vague throughout the season.
The new procedure for NBA teams this year is stating that a player will be “re-evaluated” and then provided positive platitudes about workouts that few have seen.
With that in mind, there’s a chance, albeit small, that Nunn could be closer to a return than it appears.
Nunn could give the Lakers another great scoring option in the backcourt and would presumably be a defensive upgrade over Russell Westbrook. Westbrook will, and should, continue to receive minutes, but getting Kendrick in the mix could help the team overall.
The Lakers knew that signing the injured Nunn was a gamble.
Whether or not it hits, is anybody’s guess right now.
