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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers seemingly avoided a major blow during their season opener against the Golden State Warriors when Jake LaRavia was forced to leave the game early due to an ankle injury. He was ruled out for the team’s game against the LA Clippers on Friday, but head coach JJ Redick was optimistic that LaRavia would be able to return either Sunday, Oct. 25 on the road against the Utah Jazz or Tuesday, Oct. 27 at home against the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We talked to him this morning before shootaround and he was going to try to give it a go. He went to the treatment room and it’s just not there,” Redick said during his pregame press conference before the Clippers game. “But he’s hopeful he can be back Sunday if not Tuesday.”
Jake LaRavia initially sustained the ankle injury about midway through the fourth quarter of the Lakers’ win against the Warriors. He was attempting to drive to the rim when he collapsed to the floor right under the Lakers’ basket. After staying down for a while, he was able to stand up and walk off to the locker room under his own power.
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He finished the game with a solid outing in 18 minutes with 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal. He shot 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-3 from the 3-point line.
The fifth-year forward was the team’s iron man last season, suiting up in all 82 games. Redick acknowledged that LaRavia powered through some injury concerns last season to accomplish the goal he set out for himself.
“We talked last week and he mentioned that was one of his goals for the season,” Redick said. “He had the same goal last year. He was able to do that, played through some stuff at times last year.”
LaRavia is in his second year with the Lakers after signing as a free agent in the 2025 offseason. He started out strong last year, but his game faltered off as the season went on and he was ultimately benched during the team’s Western Conference Semifinal loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In his first year, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 45.9 percent shooting from the field, 32.1 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 76.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line. Following the Warriors game, Redick mentioned how LaRavia’s performance prior to the injury was exactly what he wants to see out of him.
“I saw him being himself. When he’s shooting with confidence and making catch and shoot 3s, that’s an added bonus,” Redick said. “We have a group of guys that do a lot of things to impact winning that don’t necessarily show up in the box score, and certainly won’t show up in a highlight reel on Instagram. He’s a winning player.”
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