2015 Training Camp

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Practice: Metta World Peace (10/18/15)

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Practice: Byron Scott (10/18/15)

Mike Trudell

Kobe Bryant, who got kneed in the calf in Tuesday’s preseason game in Las Vegas, did not practice on Friday and won’t play in Saturday’s preseason game in San Diego.

Marcelo Huertas, on the other hand, practiced on a strained hamstring that’s kept him out of the team’s first five preseason games, and is being listed as probable for Saturday against Golden State.

Byron Scott said he’s not concerned about Bryant’s leg – officially a “lower leg contusion” —  and that Kobe could practice on Sunday.

“(Bryant) came in for treatment,” Scott noted. "It’s a little sore. We'll see how it feels for Sunday's practice.”

Bryant did some shooting on the practice court after getting treatment in the training room, and will do the same tomorrow morning. He’s not expected to join the team in San Diego, Scott preferring that he rest at his house.

Huertas, meanwhile, has steadily progressed since tweaking the hamstring early in training camp in Hawaii. The Brazilian point guard has a history of hamstring troubles, and thus the team was conservative with it, not wanting to risk further injury.

Scott didn’t say definitively whether or not he’ll use Huertas against the Warriors, but he’ll likely have the option to do so.

A pass-first point guard, Huertas could be a nice fit next to Lou Williams and Nick Young with the second unit.

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Injury Report: Bryant and Huertas

Joey Ramirez

For the first time in nearly two weeks, the Lakers had all 19 members of their roster available for practice. Every player participated in Thursday’s session except for Kobe Bryant, who is nursing a left lower-leg contusion that took him out of Tuesday’s exhibition in Las Vegas.

Despite head coach Byron Scott's optimism, Bryant is listed as doubtful for the Lakers' preseason tilt with Golden State on Saturday.

“(He has) a little swelling there,” Scott said. “Nothing real serious, but we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Marcelo Huertas — who has missed all five of LA’s preseason contests thus far — practiced for the first time since straining his right hamstring at training camp in Honolulu on Oct. 3.

The Brazilian did not participate in Thursday’s scrimmaging session, and is questionable for Saturday's matchup in San Diego.

“He looked pretty good,” Scott said. “He went up and down the floor, but we didn’t want to take him to the point of fatigue on the hamstrings, so we took him about three-quarters of practice today. We’ll see if we can take him a little bit farther along tomorrow.”

Team Sends Thoughts to Odom
The Lakers had one of their own, Lamar Odom, in their thoughts Thursday, as the two-time champion was hospitalized in Nevada two days ago.

Odom, who played for the Lakers from 2004 through 2011, grew up in New York with Metta World Peace. The pair played two seasons together for LA and also were on the same youth team when they were 13 years old.

“It’s really not about me right now,” World Peace said. “It’s all about Lamar and his kids. That’s it. Nothing else.”

Bryant played with Odom during the latter's entire tenure with the Lakers and visited the former Sixth Man of the Year in the hospital after LA’s preseason game in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Nick Young was never on the same team as Odom, but the two did live in the same apartment complex during the 2012-13 season when Young was a Laker while Odom played for the Clippers.

“We’re all praying for him,” Young said. “We’ve all got his back. And that’s the main thing: to be there for somebody when they’re down and not to drift off. To stay in the moment, stay with him.”

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Injury Report: Bryant, Huertas Uncertain for Saturday

In his lone year at Ohio State, D’Angelo Russell was the anomaly in the film room. While coaches used these sessions as punishment for mistakes and teammates tended to nod off, Russell — a self-described “basketball junkie” — found it thrilling.

“You’re there like, ‘Man, this is exciting,’” Russell said after Monday's practice. “One: because you’re watching yourself doing stuff that kind of wows everybody. Then you see the team just getting better every day. You just see how that translates over from practice to the game. I just try to watch as much basketball as possible.”

The 19-year-old made his first big splash in Sunday’s preseason win over Maccabi Haifa, dishing out 11 assists in just 18 minutes. Russell also put some flare on his performance, as he consistently threaded the defense for highlight-reel passes.

But for Russell’s teammates, it was just more of the same that they had seen in training camp.

“He understands what’s going on out there, and I’ve seen that from day one,” Metta World Peace said. “And I’m afraid to tell that to a lot of rookies, because if someone would’ve told me that when I was a rookie it would’ve gone to my head. But I’m not afraid to tell him that he’s really, really advanced.”

World Peace, a 15-year veteran, doesn’t worry about overpraising Russell since “there’s nothing else you can say that can go to his head.” He also doesn’t see Russell having many of the same issues that plague typical rookies.

“He’s a vet, and that’s it,” World Peace said. “He does everything like a veteran, which is great. He definitely has my respect as far as mentally. He’s sharp mentally; very poised.”

In response, Russell — who will come off the bench for the second straight game Tuesday — takes World Peace’s words in stride.

“He just says I’m ahead of the game when it comes to getting guys involved and making guys better,” Russell said. “Just to hear it from a guy like that who’s been around this league for a while — I can use it as motivation to keep doing what I’m doing.”

World Peace’s theory regarding there being nothing left to say about Russell may just be challenged by his own head coach, Byron Scott. The former Showtime Laker likened Russell’s feel for passing to arguably the greatest point guard of all-time: Magic Johnson.

“It was the same with Magic,” Scott said. “When he came down the court, you made sure your hands were ready and you were looking at him. Even if he wasn’t looking at you he could fire a pass at you. D’Angelo has a lot of that type of instinct in him. I think our guys are learning that when they’re playing with him to always be ready.”

Hibbert’s Knee Dinged
Roy Hibbert did not practice due to a sore right knee. However, he was sent to Dr. Steve Lombardo, who decided not to have Hibbert undergo an MRI. He is listed as probable for Tuesday’s exhibition against Sacramento in Las Vegas.

Brandon Bass (patella contusion) is also probable after going through Monday’s practice, while Marcelo Huertas (strained hamstring) will miss his fifth straight preseason game.

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Russell Continues to Develop, Impress

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Practice: Byron Scott

What the Lakers have lacked the most in their first three preseason games has been playmaking from the point guard position, but that’s no surprise, given the minor injuries to D’Angelo Russell (sore glute) and Marcelo Huertas (hamstring strain).

The Brazilian veteran has yet to play in a game, while Russell missed nearly all of the second game in Hawaii in addition to Thursday’s contest in Ontario.

Will the Lakers get a point guard back for Sunday’s contest against Israeli power Maccabi Haifa?

“We’ll see,” said coach Byron Scott. “I’ll talk to Gary Vitti and see how (Russell and Huertas) feels tomorrow (after) a regular shootaround day, so we’ll get up and down the floor and see how (they) reacts to that … Right now I’d say doubtful, but tomorrow we’ll go through our regular routine as far as getting ready for the game and see how those guys feel.”

Backup forward Brandon Bass (knee contusion) is also listed as doubtful, though he said after Thursday’s game that he’s OK and could probably play if it were a regular season game.

Saturday’s practice was a light one, mostly featuring shooting drills, so neither player was tested. Scott’s already seen promise in Russell’s playmaking abilities in game action, and remains intrigued by what Huertas did in the first week of training camp.

“Very curious, because I thought he was great in practice,” said Scott. “In the scrimmages we had he was very good; the guys he was playing with seemed to enjoy playing with him because he’s a true point guard that look to pass that ball.”

“It’s better, not 100 percent still, but there’s a chance I’ll play tomorrow,” said Huertas. “It doesn’t hurt at all … just (don’t) want to force it and be out for a few weeks.”

Scott is more focused on his own players than on Sunday’s opponent, Israeli squad Maccabi Haifa, whom he said he doesn’t know much about.

“I’m still trying to look at (our) players,” Scott continued. “Our scouts know Maccabi pretty well, so we’ll go over their tendencies tomorrow, but right now I’m more focused on us than anybody else.”

Huertas discussed the difference between teams like Maccabi Haifa and his team of the last several years, Spain’s F.C. Barcelona, and the NBA.

“Basketball is a little different from what I’ve been used to my whole career playing overseas,” said Huertas. “It’s much more physical, explosive, aggressive. Players are faster, super talented (with) ability to score; everyone is able to put numbers on the scoreboard. In Europe, everything is much more settled down and organized. You take care of the ball really well and try to play within a system.”

Can Huertas use some of that international experience to help Russell?

“I think he can help him from a maturity standpoint and just experience alone,” said Scott. “D’Angelo has a lot of guys that can help him: Marcelo, obviously KB is the guy who’s really taken him under his wing, and then JC (Jordan Clarkson), who has gone through it as well last year as a rookie and can give him some understanding of how difficult it is as a rookie in this league.”

In short, it may not be on Sunday that L.A.’s two point guards get back to action, but they’ll be back on the floor soon.