With the injuries mounting, he not have to wait for a shot much longer.
Since the advent of D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley shifted the balance of power in the backcourt of your Los Angeles Lakers, shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV has found himself out of LA’s rotation.
Now that All-Star starting small forward LeBron James is expected to be shelved for the next several weeks as he collects opinions on a mysterious right foot injury, it’s possible Walker returns to LA’s active bench unit.
Prior to the news breaking, it appears the 6’4″ vet took to his Instagram Stories to write an angry-but-optimistic missive to himself about his current predicament, as captured by Los Angeles fan Aron Cohen (@LADEig):
James isn’t the only perimeter player with a murky short-term future. Russell has been grappling with a sprained right ankle since last Thursday, and at present is doubtful to play tomorrow night against the Memphis Grizzlies, in the first game of a back-to-back set.
Walker may get another look from head coach Darvin Ham, but the reality has clearly settled in: he’s not part of Ham’s lineup when everyone is healthy.
The swingman made some solid strides this season, and has enjoyed his highest-scoring NBA year yet, averaging 12.8 points per. He’s also knocking down a career-best 36.9% from long range on 4.7 attempts. But he’s not the kind of volume shooter Malik Beasley is, lacks the creation of Russell, and on the bench has been superseded by Austin Reaves, a better passer and defender. His LA tenure seems doomed to end after one season, unless he can really impress Ham or team president Rob Pelinka in the next six weeks.
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