Though it's tough to get a read on just how competitive the Lakers will be in former Ohio State star D'Angelo Russell's inaugural NBA season (in what might be Kobe Bryant's last), the rookie's second preseason game from Honolulu, HI nearly ended in the worst possible way.
Trying to contest the shot of Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Russell bit the court hard:
After the scary collision, the Lakers' star of the future had to be helped off the court by multiple teammates:
A season ago, the Lakers lost then rookie forward Julius Randle in his first game for the entire season.
Though in the immediate wake of the fall many LA and Buckeye fans alike feared for the worst, the good news is that Russell appears to have just suffered a bruised rear:
D’Angelo Russell is OK. It’s basically a bruised butt, on which he took that hard fall. He’s able to return to this game.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 7, 2015