The Los Angeles Lakers have had a difficult season due to injuries, with nearly every player missing time due to a different injury. This is still the case as the organization declared that Colin Castleton, a two-way rookie center, will have another evaluation in two weeks following a fracture to his right wrist.
Because of injuries to Christian Wood, Cam Reddish, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent, the Lakers are currently as limited as they have been all season. Anthony Davis and LeBron James have also been dealing with personal problems that have put them on the injury report.
Head coach Darvin Ham recently made a suggestion that Castleton would see some rotation time because so many bigger players are out.
For Castleton, this is undoubtedly a difficult setback because he was expected to get his first official NBA playing time. Although the exact time of the injury is unknown, it most likely happened while he was practicing or playing for the South Bay Lakers.
The center, a Florida native who was signed by the Lakers to a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent, has shown promise in his Summer League and G League play thus far.
Castleton has averaged 16.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 1.6 blocks, and a 57.1% field goal percentage in 24 games with South Bay.
Given the current state of the season, Castleton’s rookie campaign may be finished if he is unable to bounce back immediately. When it comes to his return, the squad will undoubtedly proceed cautiously to make sure he doesn’t sustain any more injuries.
It will be fascinating to watch whether the Lakers make any kind of roster move to address their lack of size with so many players out, though Castleton has shown enough potential that it is unlikely they will want to part ways with the 23-year-old.
