Lakers' Ellington suffers separated shoulder

Byron Scott could be forced to shake up his lineups even more in the coming days.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been juggling their starters game-by-game, and one of the few consistent starters could end up missing time.

Wayne Ellington suffered a mild shoulder separation in a collision Wednesday and is set to undergo further evaluation Thursday. While Ellington said he was sore and admitted to being worried about the diagnosis, he's optimistic it'll be able to heal on its own.

It's unclear if by calling the separation mild, the Lakers mean it's a Grade I separation of the acromioclavicular (AC) joint. In any case, it seems likely that Ellington could miss some time.

While Ellington has fallen victim to Scott's random lineup changes of late, he's been one of the team's most consistent presences, starting 33 of 38 games. He's fourth on the team in total minutes and is averaging 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists.