Los Angeles Lakers rookie forward Anthony Brown will miss the next four weeks with a stress reaction in his right foot,the team announced on Saturday. The injury adds Brown to the Lakers' long list of wounded, including Lou Williams (hamstring), Kobe Bryant (shoulder), and Jordan Clarkson (patellar tendon).
The reaction is also a tough break for Brown, the Lakers' second round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, because the rookie appeared headed for all the minutes he could handle due to the injuries to his teammates. The Lakers needed to evaluate where Brown fit in the team's plans going forward next year, and this injury will keep Brown out for at least the majority of the rest of the season, complicating that process.
With Brown succumbing to the injury bug flying around the Lakers' locker room, little-used reserve forwards Metta World Peace and Nick Young appear primed for larger roles against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday and going forward. If the Lakers need additional depth, they could look to the D-League,where D-Fenders' guards Josh Magette, Vander Blue, and Jabari Brown loom as potential call-up options.
Brown (who just returned from a stint in China) and Blue (the reigning D-League player of the month and second leading scorer in the league at 26.4 points per game) can flat out score, while Magette is more of a distributor, averaging 8.9 assists per game. If the team look at any of these three or another option for outside depth, or simply choose to stand pat, is one of the few things left to watch for as the Lakers' season winds down.
All stats per stats.nbadleague.com. You can follow this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.