Mo Bamba diagnosed with high ankle sprain, to be re-evaluated in four weeks

After suffering an injury against the Warriors, Lakers backup big man Mo Bamba has been diagnosed with an ankle sprain that will rule him out for at least the next month.

The hits just aren’t going to stop coming this season for the Lakers on the injury front. Despite only being a Laker for about a month, Mo Bamba is the latest to suffer the injury curse as the big man is set to miss at least a month with a high ankle sprain, the team announced on Thursday.

Bamba was injured during the team’s win over the Warriors on Sunday.

A four-week period before even being re-evaluated almost certainly rules Bamba out for the rest of the regular season. Four weeks from Thursday is April 6 and the final regular season game for the Lakers is April 9. Given the unlikelihood of him being ready to step on the court the minute he’s re-evaluated and it being on a strict four-week period, it’s unlikely he suits up in the regular season for the Lakers again.

Now, that doesn’t mean his season is done. The Lakers are making a play-in and playoff push and, should they make the postseason, Bamba could potentially return for that. That would be pretty far down the line and is, again, assuming he’s ready to return at that four-week mark.

It’s a tough blow for Bamba, who had found it rough sledding in the small number of games he played in purple and gold. In seven contests, Bamba averaged 4.4 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 41.7% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point line. Those numbers look a little bit better if you factor out his debut in which he went 2-7 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc.

But even that came after he had to finish serving a suspension in the first handful of games with the Lakers. As a rim protector with the ability to stretch the floor, there was a lot of potential for Bamba to excel with the Lakers.

Now, the team could turn toward the free agent market with their open roster spot to add size in the paint. Wenyen Gabriel has played in Bamba’s absence this week but has struggled. The Lakers still have an open roster spot and adding a center makes sense.

Prior to the trade deadline, the team worked out both Meyers Leonard and former Lakers big man Demarcus Cousins, though the former has signed a pair of 10-day deals with the Bucks.

The team has until the final day of the regular season on April 9 to sign a player and still have them eligible for the postseason, so there is time to work. Don’t be surprised if the Lakers try some 10-day signings in the coming days and weeks before settling on a potential solution.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.