Darius Morris’ wrist injury keeps him out of D-Fenders game

Darius Morris sat on the bench, and this time it had nothing to do with the Lakers’ coaching staff refusing to give him playing time.

Less than a week after the Lakers assigned him to the Development League, Morris missed what would’ve been his second game with theD-Fenders on Monday against Idaho because of a left wrist injury, saidD-Fenders Coach Eric Musselman.

The team didn’t make Morris available after the game, but he was wearing a brace on his left wrist. The Lakers said they’re still awaiting test results before announcing anything, so it remains unclear when Morris suffered the injury and the significance of it. TheD-Fendershost Idaho on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Toyota Sports Center, which the Lakers also use as their practice facility.

“It’s unfortunate he couldn’t play tonight because of an injury,” Musselman said after theD-Fenders’ 108-99 victory Monday over Idaho. “But we need to keep working with him in practice and in games. Skill development becomes really important.”

After averaging 2.7 points and 1.1 assists in 10.3 minutes through 13 games with the Lakers, Morris posted 21 points on 43% shooting and four assists in 28 minutes in the D-Fenders’ 99-98 win Saturday over the Dakota Wizards. Musselman said he remained impressed with Morris’ playmaking abilities and his positive attitude but noted that he’s still learning the team’s plays and catching up on his conditioning.

“You’re talking about a player who hasn’t played a lot and then you ask him to play 30 minutes, it’s an adjustment period,” Musselman said of Morris. “I thought he fought through fatigue early on. Then when he played, I thought he got his wind under him and legs under him. He did a great job for us.”

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