On Friday in Utah, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Brandon Ingram entered the first road game of his career and made his first shot. Less than a minute later, Ingram came up gimpy and hobbled to the sidelines massaging his right knee.
The injury could not be immediately traced to any contact on the court. After a quick trip to the locker room and a checkup by doctors, the no. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft was medically cleared and returned to the court in the second quarter. He donned a black sleeve over his right knee. Ingram appeared to be moving freely and even featured in the point forward role for a short spell.
Overall, Ingram played a total of four minutes in the first half.
Before the start of the second half, Los Angeles Lakers' in-house reporter Mike Trudell told Spectrum Sportsnet viewers that Ingram expressed that Ingram felt the same discomfort in the second quarter that the forward had felt in the first quarter. As such, the team opted to shut down their 19-year-old prospect for the duration of the second half.
Luke Walton on Ingram: “There’s no way we’re going to get him out there playing again until we know there’s nothing wrong with his knee.” — Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 29, 2016
Trudell also expressed that the Lakers would reevaluate their young star in Oklahoma City, where the team plays its next game on Sunday.
Sports
Get today's sports news out of Los Angeles. Here's the latest on the Dodgers, Lakers, Angels, Kings, Galaxy, LAFC, USC, UCLA and more LA teams.
Ingram said his knee got sore, thinks it could be a bit of tendinitis, but doesn’t think it’s anything serious. Hopes to practice tomorrow. — Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 29, 2016
With Ingram watching from the bench, the Lakers went on to lose 96-89 to the Utah Jazz.