Lakers News: Latest Reports on Kobe Bryant and Jordan Clarkson Injuries

Last time the Los Angeles Lakers took the floor in a regular-season NBA game, the storied franchise was falling 122-99 to the Sacramento Kings in embarrassing fashion to complete the worst single season in team history.

Just a few months later, the Lakers look like a completely different team—ready to forget the woes of the past two seasons and try to begin a rebuild years in the making.

The starting five for the Lakers in that loss to the Kings consisted of Ryan Kelly, Jordan Hill, Tarik Black, Vander Blue and Jabari Brown. In Wednesday’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, there will be a whole new group of starters, with youngsters D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle joining veterans Roy Hibbert and Kobe Bryant looking like the group most suited to start.

There are still plenty of reasons for skepticism about the new-look Lakers: Bryant is aging, Hibbert hasn’t been great in recent years and the three young players haven’t established themselves as stars quite yet. But this is the most exciting team the Lakers have put together in quite some time.

With the season opener just around the corner, let’s take a look at some of the news for Los Angeles, including injury updates on two of its projected starters.

Kobe Bryant ready for season opener

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

It has been tough to watch the decline of Kobe Bryant in recent seasons. Winner of five NBA titles, the shooting guard is a Lakers legend and will go down as one of the greatest to ever play the game.

But since being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs in 2013, the Lakers and Bryant have fallen sharply off a cliff. The team has only won 48 total games in two seasons, missing the playoffs both years, and Bryant has been sidelined with injuries, only playing a combined 41 games.

After another season spent mostly on the sideline and with questions about his status leading up to the team’s season opener, it appears the future Hall of Famer will be ready to go on Wednesday, according to head coach Byron Scott, per Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com:

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Yeah, I told him if he couldn’t go [Sunday], [Monday] we could start worrying,” Scott said after practice at the Lakers’ facility here. “He walked out [Sunday], he said it felt good. He gave me a thumbs-up. Went through the scrimmage and everything. You can see a little rust, but other than that, he was moving pretty fluid again. It was just good to see.

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The veteran guard is heading into his 20th season as a pro, all with the Lakers, and will be hoping to reverse the team’s recent fortunes, with the title years seemingly in the rearview mirror.

When he played last season, Bryant was the team’s top scoring option, averaging 22.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. But he was only on the court for 35 games, and the Lakers suffered because of it. At the spry age of 37, it remains to be seen how much longer Bryant has in the league, so every game he can play is a boost for the franchise.

Jordan Clarkson listed as day-to-day but expects to play

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

But while the Lakers will be happy to see the return of their veteran superstar who has long been the heart and face of the franchise, there continue to be health issues in the next generation the team will be building around for the foreseeable future.

Julius Randle is back after missing almost the entire 2014-15 season. D’Angelo Russell suffered a worrying injury in the early stages of the preseason but has since bounced back to full health. And last week Jordan Clarkson suffered what the team listed as a “sore right shoulder,” according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN.com.

The young guard had an MRI last Friday, which reportedly came back normal, per Holmes—a good break for the Lakers, although they still listed Clarkson as day-to-day before the season opener. The 23-year-old has more confidence in his status, though, saying he will play, per Holmes:

A first-team All-Rookie selection, Clarkson was one of the standouts for the Lakers as a second-round draft pick, averaging 11.9 points and 3.5 assists per game. Alongside Russell and Randle, Clarkson could help the Lakers build a strong base with which to challenge in the Western Conference in the coming seasons.

The string of injuries for the trio is worrisome, especially with Bryant in the twilight of his career. But none is too serious, and even if Clarkson misses a game or two to start the year, his long-term health shouldn’t prove too much of an issue.