Lakers guard Nick Young suffers Achilles injury
Nick Young, the Los Angeles Lakers guard, suffered a right Achilles tendon strain during the first quarter of Tuesday's game against New Orleans Pelicans and could not return to the court for the remainder of the game.
Young, after two substandard seasons under Byron Scott, has been a revelation for the Lakers under new coach Luke Walton, averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting a career-best 41 percent from the three-point arc.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury after contesting a fast-break layup from Pelicans guard Tim Frazier with 10:18 remaining in the first quarter. After contesting the shot, Young hopped on his left leg before collapsing to the court in front of the scorer's table at the Smoothie King Center.
After grimacing in pain, Young was carried into the dressing room by the Lakers' training staff. The veteran swingman did not apply weight on his right leg while being carted off by team personnel.
The Lakers are already playing without starting point guard D'Angelo Russell, who is nursing a sore left knee. In some positive news, power forward Julius Randle returned on Wednesday but the Lakers need both Young and Russell, the starting backcourt, to remain a respectable team.
Nick Young to undergo MRI in Chicago
Lakers reporter Mike Trudell promptly tweeted that Young would undergo an MRI in Chicago ahead of Wednesday's game against the Bulls. The Lakers are currently on a four-game road trip that lasts through the week and culminates with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.
Nick Young has a right Achilles' tendon strain. He’s out for tonight’s game and will undergo an MRI tomorrow in Chicago.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 30, 2016
Typically, the Achilles injury is considered the most dangerous for athletes, especially if suffered during the latter stages of a career. The Lakers and its fan base would be hoping that Young suffered nothing more than an Achilles strain, because an Achilles tear could result in Swaggy P's season ending prematurely.
In recent years, Kobe Bryant and Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Mathews have successfully returned from severe Achilles injuries -- but could never truly play at the highest level.
Stay tuned for the latest on Nick Young's injury.
