NBA

Shootaround Report: Brandon Ingram Out with Groin Strain

The Los Angeles Lakers will be without Brandon Ingram for at least four games due to a groin strain

On Monday, the Los Angeles Lakers held a morning shootaround in El Segundo and shared that an MRI had revealed a left groin strain for Brandon Ingram and that the forward would be reevaluated in approximately one week.

Ingram suffered the injury on a foul and hard fall in Miami, where he did not finish the game, and subsequently missed the Lakers' comeback victory in San Antonio. At the minimum, Ingram will miss four games with the strain.

"Obviously, I was hopeful it was only a bruise type of thing," Lakers coach Luke Walton said, while refusing to rule out a return on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Walton added, "(Ingram's) done a lot for us. It's not just his scoring that we're going to miss. He's really been a huge piece in the success we've had recently in playing the point guard position, playmaking, really stepping up the way he rebounds the ball, using his length to get in there and help us finish off our possessions on defense, his versatility, the amount of positions he could guard--there's a lot that we're trying to figure out a way to fill in for without him out there on the court."

In addition to everything Walton mentioned, Ingram also shot 52.2 percent from beyond the the three-point line in February and is the team's leading scorer at 16.1 points per game.

"I don't think I was surprised," Ingram said about learning the details of his injury, claiming to have had a similar issue previously. "I pretty much knew what it was exactly when it happened."

Ingram added, "I'm happy it's not that serious where I can't be back on the floor with my teammates (soon)."

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.

No. 1 UNC upset by No. 4 Alabama 89-87 in March Madness

Which teams have made the men's Elite Eight so far? Everything to know about the regional finals

In addition to Ingram, the Lakers will also be without Josh Hart after the rookie returned home early from Miami and underwent surgery on a fracture suffered in practice. The timeline for Hart's return was listed at 4-6 weeks with the season expiring in fewer than six weeks.

As such, Hart could potentially miss the remainder of the season.

"I think I kind of showed that I can be productive in this league, so that's always good," Hart said when asked to evaluate his season, if he's unable to return before the season wraps. "But hopefully, I'll be able to get back out there."

Walton referred to Hart as the team's best post defender and also pointed to Hart leading the team from distance at 39.7 percent when talking about the team's current injury crisis.

Asked if the team planned to use the open roster spot to bring a player in a wing role on a 10-day contract to held soften the blow from the two injuries, Walton confirmed with conviction, "Yea, we're looking at more players right now."

Of course, Sunday's news of Walton's former teammate winning an Academy Award trickled into the shootaround questions, and Walton said he was happy for Bryant was far from surprised. When told that Bryant had said something to the effect of winning an Oscar meaning more than winning an NBA championship, Walton seemed dumbfounded.

"He said that?" Walton asked. "With a straight face? I didn't see it, but I imagine there's some sarcasm in there. But hey, that's his call."

When asked if he'd rather win an Oscar or a championship, Walton immediately responded, "Championship."

Contact Us