Lakers' Hart to undergo hand surgery; Walton won't rule out return this season
The Los Angeles Lakers say rookie guard Josh Hart will undergo surgery Friday to repair a fracture in his left hand, according to ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.
Hart suffered the injury during the Lakers' practice Wednesday. There's no timetable for his recovery, but head coach Luke Walton left the door open for a return this season.
"It's one of those things, obviously there's zero rush to bring him back," Walton told reporters Thursday, according to Youngmisuk. "But if he's healthy and ready to play and we've got a couple of weeks left, then yeah we'll get him back on the court."
Hart, picked 30th overall by the Utah Jazz and flipped to the Lakers in a draft-day trade, has been a pleasant surprise in his rookie campaign. He's averaged 6.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across 55 games, while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range. He had a particularly strong February, going for 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds on 66 percent true shooting.
That steady play earned him a promotion to the starting lineup, and the Lakers went 10-10 with him as a starter.