Podcast: The injuries are already piling up for the Lakers

With only a week to go before the start of the regular season, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel still has a lot on his table when it comes to decisions that still need to be made. On Monday, those decisions were not made any easier with word that Talen Horton-Tucker has a torn ligament in his right thumb and will undergo surgery, presumably sidelining him for the foreseeable future.

To make matters worse, the injury news also came on the heels of the team announcing Malik Monk will miss at least a week due a groin strain and Trevor Ariza will be out two months following an arthroscopic debridement of his right ankle. Not long after, they also announced that Kendrick Nunn was dealing with an ankle sprain.

For Vogel, not only will the team’s vaunted depth be challenged immediately, but all this could possibly restrict him from pursuing lineups he previously had in mind — most notably with his starting group. There will undoubtedly now be a trickle-down effect on minutes distribution going forward, with certain players benefiting and also hurt from the recent news.

All of it brings us to today’s podcast.

On this week’s “Talk-O-Tuesday” (on a Monday), our hosts Alex Padilla and Alex Regla discussed the recent injuries surrounding the team, as well as predicted how the absences will impact Anthony Davis playing more center, the starting lineup and the bench losing some punch.

The duo also discussed Russell Westbrook’s turnovers, and what they will be looking for ahead of the team’s “Big 3” finally taking the floor together.

You can listen to all that and more in the full episode below, and to make sure you never miss a show, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.

And for a short-form recap pod, check out Lakers Lowdown, in which Anthony Irwin recaps the previous day’s news and gets you ready for the day ahead in LakerLand, every weekday morning on the Silver Screen & Roll Podcast feed.