TORONTO >> Usually, Luke Walton has evaluated his starting point guard by how much he has blended his scoring talents with both running the offense and elevating his defense. With D’Angelo Russell out of the lineup for the past week recovering from a sore left knee however, Walton judged his replacement through a different lens.
After veteran guard Jose Calderon logged the first of many nights as the Lakers’ starting point guard, Walton observed and joked how many ice bags the 35-year-old Calderon had around his knees.
“I feel great,” Calderon said, laughing. “He’s always joking around with the pads and the old guys.