After a nine-game absence due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Los Angeles Lakers will get their starting center, Marc Gasol, back in the lineup. But Gasol won’t be playing starters minutes, even if he does start for the Lakers on Thursday night when they face off against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lakers coach Frank Vogel told reporters earlier on Thursday that Gasol would be on a minutes restriction. Just before Thursday night’s game against the 76ers, Vogel told reporters that the Lakers are looking at the game as an opportunity for Gasol to rehab. Because the Lakers nor Gasol have said anything, it’s unclear whether Gasol had the coronavirus during his nine-game absence.
The Lakers didn’t make any big moves at the trade deadline on Thursday. While they, like their opponents on Thursday were reportedly involved in talks with Toronto for Gasol’s former teammate Kyle Lowry, neither team landed a deal for the Raptors guard.
