”The Lakers’ Nick Young #0 drives to the hoop as the Magic’s Nikola Vucevic #9 defends during their NBA game at the Staples Center Friday, January 9, 2015. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht/Los Angeles Daily News)”
The outlook Lakers coach Byron Scott has on Nick Young’s progress on his swollen left knee no longer seems as positive.
Two days ago, Scott held out hope Young could begin on-court work to test out his knee. On Sunday, Scott conceded the possibility that Young could face a prolonged absence because of his injury that Scott described as “slowly healing.”
“It might take another week, or two or three,” Scott said about Young after talking with team doctors and head athletic trainer Gary Vitti. “[Nick] doesn’t know. It depends on how fast he heals. We’re not in a hurry. He still has some pain in there. That’s the biggest concern.”
Young will sit out when the Lakers (16-45) host the Dallas Mavericks (40-24) on Sunday at Staples Center, marking the seventh consecutive game he will miss because of his current injury. But Scott also revealed the likelihood Young will also sit out of this week’s homestand that includes stops against Detroit (Tuesday) and New York (Thursday).
Scott also revealed the Lakers believe Young’s latest injury is similar to the injury to his left knee last season that involved non-displaced patellar fracture and bone bruise. That injury kept Young out for six games.
“He had the same thing last year in a different area,” Scott said. “But that was slow as well. They thought it would be something that wouldn’t take too long. But I guess he is a slow healer. This is a different spot. At first I thought he should have been back a lot sooner. But now listening to what the doctors and Gary are saying, they’re saying this is something that won’t go away as fast as we thought it would. As long as he has that swelling in there, we won’t mess with it.”
Young has averaged 13.4 points on a career-low 36.6 shooting percent clip, a mark that dipped in January (32.2 percent) and February (32.4 percent).
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