Jake LaRavia’s impressive run with the Lakers is set to end on Friday night. The fifth-year forward will sit out the home game against the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena due to a sprained right ankle, an injury he sustained in the fourth quarter of the season opener against the Warriors.
This will be his first missed regular season game because of injury or illness since he joined the Lakers on a two-year, $12 million contract back in July 2025. Remarkably, LaRavia played all 82 games in the previous regular season.
He was among just 18 players who participated in all 82 games last season.
Before this setback, LaRavia had an impressive streak of playing in 90 consecutive games, which includes eight playoff appearances, prior to being a DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) during the last two playoff games against the Thunder.
LaRavia suffered the ankle injury midway through the fourth quarter while the Lakers were leading by a substantial 33 points. He tried to drive into the paint with LJ Cryer as his defender, but the play went sideways, and he awkwardly twisted his right ankle before falling to the floor.
He lay on the court in pain until team trainers assisted him back to the bench, though he did manage to put weight on his leg before heading off to the locker room.
Post-game, coach JJ Redick didn’t have an immediate update but expressed cautious optimism about LaRavia’s condition compared to how it felt right after the injury occurred.
“I’m probably more positive than when it first happened,” he mentioned.
Before the injury, LaRavia was performing well, contributing 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting as a bench player.
“I saw him being himself,” Redick commented. “When he’s shooting confidently and making those catch-and-shoot 3s, it’s a great addition. We have a team that brings a lot to the table that may not be reflected in the stats—he’s just a winning player.”
On Friday morning, LaRavia was spotted on an exercise bike alongside teammate Adou Thiero, who is also out with left knee swelling, before receiving the official ruling to sit out the game.
