Lakers Wayne Ellington forces Dallas´ Monta Ellis down during second half action at Staples Center Sunday, March 8, 2015. Dallas defeated the Lakers 100-93. ( Photo by David Crane/Los Angeles Daily News )
Shortly after Lakers guard Wayne Ellington encountered a collision in the waning seconds of Thursday’s loss to New Orleans at Staples Center, coach Byron Scott gave him some feedback both to break the ice and add a dose of honesty.
In a half-joking manner, Scott told Ellington, ” You’re done for the season. You do know that.”
An MRI taken on Thursday later confirmed a grade 1 separation in Ellington’s right shoulder, an injury that will indeed sideline him for the eight remaining games, including when the Lakers (20-54) host the Portland Trail Blazers (48-26) on Friday at Staples Center.
“I wasn’t surprised at all,” Scott said. “I was disappointed for him because he had such a great season and had been such a great pro. I’m sure he wanted to finish it out.”
Yet, Scott said that Ellington will likely fully heal his shoulder by sometime next month, something that should assuage his concerns when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in July. The Lakers will mostly prioritize their offseason needs through the NBA draft and chasing marquee free agents. But Scott said the Lakers would “absolutely” consider re-signing Ellington for various reasons.
Scott has said Ellington exceeded his expectations after averaging 10 points on a 41.2 percent clip, which nearly mirrors the career-high he set with Scott’s Cleveland Cavaliers team during the 2012-13 season. Scott praised Ellington for evolving as a primary catch-and-shoot scorer to a more complete offensive and defensive player. Ellington also maintained a professional attitude amid different roles as a backup shooting guard and the team’s primary starter following Kobe Bryant’s season-ending injury two months ago. The Lakers also remained impressed with how Ellington handled his father’s murder in mid-November, missing only six games through 11 days amid a team-granted leave of absence.
“He’s a guy you can plug in a couple of different positions,” Scott said. “He’s great in the locker room. He’s great in practice. He’s a great teammate. As a coach, whatever you ask Wayne to do, he will do it. He’ll try to do it to the best to your ability. He’s not a guy who will give you problems if you’re playing or not. He’s one of those guys who will be all about the team, all about winning and doing the right things. Most coaches would love to have guys like that on the team.”
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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com