Josh Hart suffers fractured hand
Unfortunate news for Josh Hart of the Los Angeles Lakers.
One of the Lakers’ most surprising revelations of the season is that Josh Hart has reportedly fractured his left hand. It has not yet been confirmed just how long the young guard will be sidelined for, but it will be no surprise if his season is done, especially if the team elects to go the route of surgery.
Hart has made a name for himself in the second half of the season after being moved to the starting lineup the past 10 games. He has excelled at the defensive end, but also contributed as a spot up three-point shooter very well in this stretch. His production was key in helping the team survive while Lonzo Ball was sidelined with a knee injury.
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In the month of February, Hart averaged 12.2 points on 51% shooting, 7.4 rebounds, and an impressive 48.9% three point percentage. He also had a plus-minus of +13 in that 10 game stretch. It is obvious that these numbers will be missed.
This injury comes at a particularly inopportune time for the Lakers, as they just earlier today waived forward, Corey Brewer. With Brewer gone, and Hart, as well as Channing Frye, injured, the team’s bench is looking thin.
So the question is, what will the Lakers’ lineup look like going forward?
We will likely see rookie point guard, Lonzo Ball, return to the starting lineup, a move that was inevitable regardless of Hart’s health. To fill the role previously held by Ball on the bench, expect to see either Tyler Ennis or Alex Caruso, or perhaps a combination of both— but preferably the latter of the two.
Because of the return of Lonzo Ball, the team should be able to handle this injury with little to no consequence, but if Ball misses any more time, things may start to look bleak. If this were to happen, we would likely see Kyle Kuzma enter the starting lineup, leaving the bench with only Isaiah Thomas as a reliable source of offense.
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Hopefully the rest of the team remains healthy throughout the final stretch of the season. As for Hart, we should find out very shortly whether the team will decide to end his season with surgery or not.