The Los Angeles Lakers haven't exactly had the 2018-19 campaign that many expected after overhauling their roster during the offseason following the addition of LeBron James.
Unfortunately, injuries have marred what looked like it could be a promising year for the Purple and Gold as James' groin injury, and the subsequent time he missed because of it, along with a number of other rotation players going down led to Los Angeles falling out of the playoff picture completely and never climbing back into the race.
More NBA news
On Thursday, guard Josh Hart became the latest Laker to land himself on the injured list for the remainder of the season. The team announced that Hart underwent an ultrasonic debridement procedure on his right knee patellar tendon and will not be able to return to basketball-related activities for 12 weeks.
BREAKING: Josh Hart underwent a successful ultrasonic debridement procedure on his right knee patellar tendon this morning.
⁰Hart is expected to make a full recovery and return to basketball activities in approximately 12 weeks. pic.twitter.com/Q5FzDmrYjO
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 28, 2019
The former first-round pick had missed the last four games and last played on March 19 against the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored six points in 17 minutes of action. Hart will miss the final seven games of the 2018-19 season due to the injury.
The second-year guard put together averages of 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists while shooting 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. In six of the final nine games that Hart participated in, he logged at least 20 minutes off the bench for the Lakers.
The Lakers have been hit by the injury bug in a big way this season. Lonzo Ball had his season cut short due to an ankle sprain while Brandon Ingram had surgery to fix a blood clot in his shoulder. In addition, LeBron James and Rajon Rondo missed significant stretches that saw Los Angeles fall in the standings and ultimately out of the playoff picture.
