Lakers News: Lonnie Walker IV Completes First Full Healthy Lakers Practice
This weekend, recently-signed Los Angeles Lakers reserve (for now) shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV overcame a major hurdle on his road to recovery from a nagging ailment.
Dave McMenamin of ESPN reveals that the 6'4" wing out of the University of Miami played through his first full-contact practice as a Laker Saturday at Pechanga Reservation in Temecula, as he continues to work his way back from an ankle injury. Dennis Schroder will join the Lakers at some point next week in Las Vegas as he continues to deal with a visa hiccup.
Earlier this season, Los Angeles inked Walker, still just 23, to a one-year, $6.5 million agreement using its mid-level exception. Initially selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 18th pick in 2018, Walker remains a tantalizing, if somewhat undercooked, prospect. He has the athleticism and length (a 6'10" wingspan) to become an above-average defender, but he has yet to take that leap on the floor.
The young swingman was an above-average three-point shooter through the first three seasons of his career in San Antonio, but after a 2021-22 season in which he converted a mere 31.4% of his 5.0 triples a game, he has seen his career average dip to a mildly below-average 34.3% rate on 3.6 looks. Here's hoping that during his first year with the Lakers, he can get closer to the heights of his first three NBA seasons, when he he nailed as much as 40.6% of his looks beyond the arc, during the lockout-shortened 2019-20 season.
Another new Lakers perimeter addition this offseason, Troy Brown Jr., remains day-to-deal as he grapples with a back injury that his kept him limited through L.A.'s first week of training camp action.
