"I got about an hour in today, a lot of running up and down--really my first 5-on-5 action," Los Angeles Lakers' second-year forward Ryan Kelly said after Monday's practice.
Kelly missed training camp and the start of the 2014-15 season due to issues with both hamstrings. However, the forward appears set to make his 2014-15 Los Angeles Lakers' debut and could even feature as early as Tuesday night against Phoenix.
"We'll see how he feels tomorrow," Lakers' coach Byron Scott said when asked about Kelly playing on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. "He went through about an hour of practice today. We'll see how he reacts tomorrow morning, and he'll go through shootaround, if he can. Then, we'll go from there."
After Monday's practice, Scott talked about defense winning championships, so his emphasis would not change even if the results were not immediately visible. Scott said the team had only been together only five weeks, so he was undeterred by the slow progress.
"I'm trying to get them to understand who I am and what I'm all about," Scott said.
Although the Lakers are 0-4, which is the worst start for the team since moving to Los Angeles, the team had some bright spots. One of those bright spots is Jordan Hill.
"I told him he should average a double-double," Scott said about Hill.
Hill is averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game over the first four games of the season. In particular, Hill has been able to hit a mid-range shot that was not a part of his game previously. Scott said he encouraged the Lakers' big man to shoot that shot, as it was something Hill regularly practiced and made during training camp.
The Lakers may be off to record bad start, but the coach did not seem down about the progress.
"It's only been five weeks," Scott said. "I still got a ways to go."
