Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, center, shoots ahead of Los Angeles Lakers center Roy Hibbert, left, and guard Jordan Clarkson, right, on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, in Anaheim. Clarkson missed the second half because of a sprained right shoulder. He is slated to undergo an MRI on Friday. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
The news could have been a lot worse.
After feeling what he described as a “real sharp pain” in the Lakers’ preseason loss to Golden State on Thursday in Anaheim, Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson took an MRI on Friday and the results came back as normal. The Lakers are listing Clarkson with a sore right shoulder and is considered as day-to-day.
Still, the Lakers say they will not know Clarkson’s availability for their season opener against Minnesota next Wednesday until likely early next week. In the meantime, the Lakers say Clarkson “will be treated conservatively.” The Lakers will likely hold Clarkson out of practice on Saturday and then assess his availability for Sunday’s session depending on how he feels.
Clarkson expressed optimism on Thursday night that his injury is “something minor.” He said he felt shoulder pain earlier this week, but that it went away after receiving treatment. But Clarkson left Thursday’s game midway through the second quarter after believing he felt pain after running into screen set by a Warriors player.
Last season, the 46th pick landed onto the NBA’s All-Rookie first team. He averaged 12 points on 46.4 percent shooting in 22.5 minutes per game during preseason play.
Meanwhile, the Lakers also waived undrafted rookie forward Jonathan Holmes. He averaged two points and three rebounds in 7.5 minutes through two exhibition games. The Lakers must trim their 16-player roster at least down to 15 by the team’s season opener against Minnesota on Wednesday. But the move will likely take place either Sunday or Monday so players have time to clear waivers.
It appears likely veteran forward Metta World Peace and second-year guard Jabari Brown will compete for the Lakers’ final roster spot. The 35-year-old World Peace does not offer as much offensively and defensively as he has in his prime. But World Peace could ugprade the Lakers’ defense and also mentor the team’s young players, notably second-year forward Julius Randle. The 22-year-old Brown has more upside, but he is competing for minutes in a Lakers backcourt featuring Kobe Bryant, D’Angelo Russell, Clarkson, Marcelo Huertas and Lou Williams.
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