Trevor Ariza made his long-awaited debut for the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bulls.
The Lakers signed Ariza to a one-year deal over the summer with hopes of inserting him into the starting lineup with his prowess at both ends of the court, but an ankle injury before the preseason had kept him sidelined.
Ariza played 15 minutes off the bench and hit a left-corner 3 — his only make — logged two assists and a rebound.
After the game, Ariza explained how he felt after not playing for a few months.
“I wanted to play; I’ve been wanting to play,” Ariza said. “I got cleared today to play, and I was able to get out there for a few minutes. I felt pretty good, obviously being out for so long, it takes a bit of time to catch up to the speed of the game. But for the most part, I felt really good. My wind felt pretty good.”
With Anthony Davis out for at least the next four weeks, the Lakers will need a healthy Ariza to continue deploying centerless lineups, which can include Ariza playing the 5.
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