EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- After receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection in his sore left knee that will keep him sidelined for a minimum of two weeks, Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard D'Angelo Russell said he was remaining patient and cautious about eventually returning to the lineup.

"I definitely don't want to force anything," Russell said Saturday at the Lakers' training facility in his first public comments since the injection. "I feel like I've got to be 100 percent perfect before I step back on the floor."

Russell, the Lakers' second-leading scorer (16.1 points per game), said his left knee has been bothering him on and off since the start of the season, though he didn't think it was too serious.

"I was in a lot of pain, but I knew how to control it," he said. "I knew what not to do. [There are] so many games in this league, so it's hard to stay healthy when you're injured and try to maintain that focus."

He added, "I can't really move the way I want, so when I try to fight it and [do] sharp movements and plant and do stuff like that, it aggravated it."

Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft, said he believed that he didn't need surgery and is hopeful the injection, along with core, glute and pool workouts, will help him return to form.

Russell plans to travel with the Lakers on their upcoming road trips -- including a four-game trip starting Tuesday in New Orleans -- because, he said, "I'd rather travel and get treatment than sit here and not."

When the Lakers announced that Russell had received a PRP injection Wednesday, they noted that he would be evaluated in one week.