Lakers News: Latest on D'Angelo Russell's Injury, Ivica Zubac and More

The Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Chicago Bulls 118-110 at home Sunday night, with Jimmy Butler carving up the Lakers defense for a game-high 40 points. The loss dropped the Lakers to 7-7 on the season and 1-2 on their four-game homestand, which concludes with a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

The Bulls are one of the better teams in the NBA at 9-5 on the season, so the Lakers' ability to hang with this talented team was encouraging. However, they will need more from key players if they are to beat Russell Westbrook and the Thunder.

D'Angelo Russell's return to the lineup after missing Friday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs with a knee injury was a positive sign, as it shows the injury likely isn't serious. However, it still affected the way he played Sunday.

“I tried to be real cautious,” he said, per the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli and Jesse Dougherty. “I think I shot all threes I think. But it’s all good.”

Russell actually went 1-of-2 from inside the arc and a dreadful 2-of-9 from beyond it for eight points and seven assists. The performance was a far cry from the 32-point outburst he put up against the Brooklyn Nets last Tuesday to kick off the homestand and well below the 16.1 points per game he's averaging on the season. 

The 20-year-old budding star doesn't get to the free-throw line much (2.9 free-throw attempts per game this season) and failed to get to the charity stripe at all Sunday. 

Russell may have admitted the bothersome knee altered the way he played against the Bulls, but his poor shooting was consistent with his typical Sunday output this year, per Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus:

Perhaps Russell could benefit from some extra shooting work on Sunday. Head coach Luke Walton has scrapped a long-standing Sunday-morning shootaround this season, taking a page out of his former boss' playbook, per the Orange County Register's Mark Medina: 

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For the 2016-17 season, Lakers coach Luke Walton has gone in the opposite direction by following the trend among coaches in recent years by reducing that practice. He has not held any morning shootarounds before any games on Sunday thus far. Walton plans to keep that itinerary for the Lakers’ 11 remaining Sunday evening games presuming his players do not give him any reason to regret that decision.

Walton made that decision after the former Golden State assistant saw Warriors coach Steve Kerr receive effective results last season.

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The change is reportedly popular among Lakers players, as Medina notes that "after lamenting former coach Byron Scott for his conditioning-heavy practices, a handful of Lakers players welcomed the move."

The strong early results that Walton has coaxed from a young, rebuilding team have been impressive, and moves like scrapping the shootaround are signs that he is excelling as a players-coach and is mindful of the latest successful trends in the NBA. 

Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Lakers have been able to play with plenty of bounce and energy this season, with the team's youth and Walton's egalitarian minute distribution being two of the key factors in that regard. The Lakers typically see 10 players take the court each night, and nine are averaging at least 20 minutes per contest.

Walton isn't content to just let the roster completely settle at this early stage in the season. The Lakers recently recalled rookie center Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles D-Fenders after a particularly fine performance, per the team's official Twitter account:

Zubac, who has appeared in only three games this season for the Lakers, hasn't yet been available for the team due to an ankle injury, per Lakers.com's Joey Ramirez. There is no reason for the Lakers to rush Zubac back to action, but his inclusion in the main squad is a promising sign for his development so long as he can carve out some playing time.

Zubac's most significant contribution this season came in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 2, when he scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in 19 minutes of play.