Quentin Grimes is still trying to find his way in the City of Angels, and that could be even harder to do while nursing a right finger injury. The Los Angeles Lakers guard missed the last two contests, but he is seemingly ready to get back on the court.
Grimes said he expects to play in Sunday's road matchup versus the Phoenix Suns, per David Mendez-Yapkowitz of ClutchPoints. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both dealing with their own injury issues coming out of Wednesday's 123-112 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, so this positive development should be of great interest to fans.
It is not enough to be active, however. Expecting the Lakers' top two scorers to carry the offensive load for the duration of the regular season and playoffs is not reasonable. Guys like Grimes have to provide steady supplemental production. He filled that role for the Philadelphia 76ers, and head coach JJ Redick might ask him to do the same in LA.
Article Continues BelowThere could be an adjustment period, however. Grimes is scoring 8.0 points in 26.1 minutes per game, while shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from 3-point land. Yes, his main strength lies on the defensive side of the floor, but with a near-$14-million salary, the Lakers will expect a fair amount of offense as well.
He will do his best to produce such output going forward. Considering that the finger sprain is on his shooting hand, the fan base should exercise patience. Ideally, LA (11-2) will not need to operate at full force against a Suns squad that is just 5-6 to begin the campaign. Opening tipoff will commence at approximately 4 p.m. ET on Sunday.