LA Lakers' Kyle Kuzma not to feature in NBA season opener

The Los Angeles Lakers' power forward Kyle Kuzma has been ruled out of their upcoming NBA season's opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers as a result of an injury. Kuzma had suffered a stress reaction to his left foot when he had been training with Team USA for the FIBA World Cup. On Sunday, Lakers coach Frank Vogel officially announced that Kuzma will be sitting out the season opener. Kuzma was cleared of non-contact practice last week. 

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LA Lakers: Kyle Kuzma injury update

In the interview posted on their official Twitter handle, Vogel also did not mention how long would it take for Kuzma to regain his full strength. Vogel also mentioned that they are not looking beyond Tuesday, October 22 as of now. They have been talking about increasing Kuzma's activities and workload. Kuzma might either start full-court no-contact practise or half-court practise with full contact. The medical staff, however, has not decided which method it will be opting for. 

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Vogel also mentioned that he plans on adding Kuzma to the starting line-up along with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He believes that the combination will add versatility to the LA Lakers line-up. He believes that Kuzma is probably the Lakers' third-best player and his addition to the lineup could go in many different directions. As their 5s have been playing well, Vogel thinks he will have 'good problems' when Kuzma will return after full recovery. 

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The coach added that there is no reason to rush Kuzma's return, even though he is more than ready to play again. Vogel also mentioned that Kuzma has been impatient since leaving the USA team, but understands that the team is being smart about his condition and is on board with their decisions. In his second season in the league, Kuzma averaged 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds. The LA Lakers will be playing LA Clippers on Wednesday, October 23 (8:00 am IST) at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles. 

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