Clippers Rumors: Landry Shamet's Ankle Injury Diagnosed as Grade 2 Sprain
Los Angeles Clippers sharpshooter Landry Shamet has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain on his left ankle, and his timetable to return remains unclear, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Shamet, who injured the ankle in the third quarter of Monday's 98-88 win over the Toronto Raptors, left the locker room last night on crutches, per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.
Shamet, 22, has started all 10 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 9.1 points and 1.7 assists per contest while shooting 39 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three.
Even with Paul George expected to make his season debut Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans, per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Shamet would have been expected to remain in the starting lineup alongside George, Kawhi Leonard, Patrick Beverley and Ivica Zubac.
Now, however, it's unclear when Shamet will be available, though his injury could keep him out at least six weeks:
That's potentially a major blow for the Clippers, though depth is a strong suit for the team, with the two-man wrecking crew of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell coming off the bench. On the wing, players like Rodney McGruder, Jerome Robinson and Terance Mann are also available.
The Clippers could also choose to play big, moving George down to the 2, Leonard to the 3 and keeping Patrick Patterson in the starting lineup at the 4. But with enough wing options to replace Shamet's minutes, that seems unlikely.
The bigger concern for the Clippers is that Shamet has had ankle and foot injuries in the past, spraining his ankle before his rookie season and missing time on two separate occasions at Wichita State with foot injuries.
