The Lakers have had absolutely rotten injury luck this season, with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James shut down for the foreseeable future with an Achilles issue and a high ankle sprain, respectively. Other key contributors like Marc Gasol and Dennis Schröder have missed time during the season, and the goal right now for the team is to simply avoid a freefall in the West without their stars.
On Wednesday, they finally seemed to be getting a lift as their new buyout acquisition, Andre Drummond, was set to make his Lakers debut against the Bucks. Drummond looked rusty in his 14 minutes of action, with four points, two assists, and one rebound, but that was somewhat expected after he hadn’t played in nearly a month as Cleveland had shut him down. However, what was far more concerning was his departure in the third quarter with an apparent toe injury, as he had his big toe wrapped and made a shoe change at halftime, dealing with discomfort. He would eventually remove his right shoe and walk to the locker room with the trainer.
Oh no. #LakeShow x #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/mlp59r0tCX
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) April 1, 2021
https://twitter.com/NotScTop10plays/status/1377466272364003328
The Lakers announced late in the third quarter that Drummond’s night was over with a right toe contusion.
Andre Drummond has a right big toe contusion. X-rays were negative but he won't return, per the Lakers
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 1, 2021
That announcement somewhat undersold what Drummond was dealing with, as he said afterwards that his toenail got ripped off after his foot got stepped on by Brook Lopez.
Andre Drummond says in the first quarter of tonight's Lakers-Bucks game, Brook Lopez accidentally stepped on his foot and that when he took his shoe and sock off, "my whole toenail was gone." He says it was "very painful," but he's grateful X-rays on the toe were negative.
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 1, 2021
Here's Drummond telling someone that his nail came off his foot using hand signals at the start of the 2nd half of tonight's game:#NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #LakeShow https://t.co/RbgfNAgnDh pic.twitter.com/fibd58jgof
— 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧' 𝐍𝐁𝐀 (@_Talkin_NBA) April 1, 2021
His status for going forward is unknown, but that’s an injury that will cause him discomfort for some time.
