Banged-up Lightning return for stretch-run

The injuries have mounted. They’ve played with a short bench. Fortunately, their schedule has lightened. With four games remaining, the Lightning are hoping to peak for playoffs come mid-May …

Amir Williams, who battled illness recently, joins a long list of Lightning players fighting ailments down the stretch. With four games left, they’re hoping to heal in time for playoffs. (Photo: Matt Hiscox Photography).

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Don’t worry if you need a scorecard to figure out who’s in, who’s out, and who’s brand new as the London Lightning (16-4) return to action after a week away from the hardwood.

Since a blistering 11-0 start, the Lightning are now 5-4 in their last nine games, and while they have clinched home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, a lot of injuries (and a little bad luck) are shaking up the roster down the stretch.

On Sunday, the Lightning will have 10 healthy players available against the Windsor Express, including guards Lance Adams, Josiah Mastandrea, Marcus Ottey and Terry Thomas, forwards Cameron Forte, Jermaine Haley Jr., Mareik Isom, and Abednego Lufile, and centre Amir Williams.

If you’re counting along, that’s only nine. The 10th will be newcomer Jordan Burns. Added over the weekend, the 6-foot American point guard will make his Lightning and NBL Canada debut Sunday.

Burns, 24, was a four-year starter for the Colgate Red Raiders. As a senior, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game and was named the Patriot League Player of the Year. Burns went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft, but landed NBA G League gigs with the Maine Celtics and Austin Spurs.

NBA scouts called Burns an agile, skilled playmaker who can shoot and score. While he might lack the ideal size for his position at the highest level, he was still projected as a solid bench guard in the NBA.

It’s an exciting – and much-needed – addition to a team that has not been at full strength in more than a month. The Lightning are healing, slowly, head coach Doug Plumb says, but there will be noticeable absences for the remainder of the regular season.

Forward Jordan Jensen-Whyte will sit as a precaution for the next two games before being reevaluated. Jaylon Tate will most likely be sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with a knee injury. Ryan Taylor has gone off to play in New Zealand after only two games with the Bolts, including a 24-point beauty in a 106-103 win over the KW Titans on April 23 – a win he clinched with a late three-pointer.

While Burns will qualify for the playoffs after four games, league rules say Taylor’s vacated roster spot cannot be filled.

Nevertheless, Plumb remains optimistic of the road forward – though he does see the holes in the roster created by injuries.

“I like our group. I trust what we got; we rock with the dudes we have,” Plumb said. “But at the end of the day, we still need to have the security blanket – that guy who is the seventh or eighth man who could come in any game and score 20. Lately, we haven’t had that because we’ve been really thin.”

Early on, the Bolts bench was the strength of the team, a collection of guys who could start and rival any opponent’s starting five. But with many of those players now forced into starting roles or hurt themselves, and many Lightning opponents adding to their rosters, the competition is increasing.

For instance, Sudbury and Windsor have been loading up on guards. Plumb remains outwardly unconcerned with his backcourt in flux.

“Look at some of these other teams. They’re adding these scorers and stuff – but there’s only one basketball and 70-80% of the game has nothing to do with shooting the ball,” he said.

Plumb plans to counter guard play with versatility and playing Lightning basketball.

“When the ball moves, teams win. When the ball sticks, you don’t win – or you might win a game, but you’re not gonna consistently win versus size,” the coach continued. “We’re focusing on our pick-and-roll coverage with our bigs, conditioning their legs, honing in our coverages so that regardless of what teams are running, our principles remain intact and that they’re solid.”

Plumb cited Jensen-Whyte as perhaps a key piece going forward. An X-factor, as Plumb described him, Jensen-Whyte is a player who might not always post flashy numbers, but he works like crazy behind the scenes and is a smart, savvy defender.

Even something as simple as practice has been a chore in recent weeks, as injury and scheduling have limited opportunity. But in the final two weeks of the regular season, the team has an opportunity to slow things down and focus.

The Lightning have four games left in the regular season, a pair of home-and-homes against the Express (May 1 in Windsor and May 2 in London) and Sudbury Five (May 9 in Sudbury, May 12 in London). The Lightning have not played a home game since April 6.

“The best thing right now is that our guys really like each other. That last win was big for us. Yes, we’re starting to see these injuries mount up. Luckily, however, we have a pretty light schedule down the stretch,” Plumb said. “It’s not nearly as intense, so hopefully we can get back to where we want to get back to and use it as an opportunity to get some of these guys who haven’t been able to play a lot to play.

“In the five-game series versus the same team, you need to have all of your guys ready to perform, and some of them haven’t gotten minutes. The only thing we care about is gearing up for playoffs and playing good basketball, making sure that everyone's healthy, executing our stuff, getting guys reps on the bench.”

That means look for Ottey and Lufile to get some much-needed floor experience, as well as Haley to get some reps at the 1 and 2. It won’t be all fresh faces, either: Thomas continues his steady play all season, Forte has returned from his grandmother’s funeral both rested and healed up; and Williams continues to build up his endurance.

“It could be a blessing in disguise,” Plumb said. “It’s better that this is happening now over the last two weeks of the regular season than it happening in playoffs.”