The injury bug has bitten the Los Angeles Lakers once again. The Lakers recently announced that Lonzo Ball suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain during the overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. He will be out four to six weeks for a team that already has significant injuries.
Lonzo Ball Out 4-6 Weeks With Ankle Injury
The Injuries Continue
The loss of Ball will be huge considering that the Lakers are already missing Rajon Rondo and LeBron James, two of their primary ball handlers. With the Western Conference being so competitive, every game matters, and these injuries are certainly not helping the Lakers’ playoff chances.
However, both Rondo and James have been cleared to practice and should bring a huge boost to the team once they return. Before going down, Ball had been showing flashes of maturity and growth. His ability to control the pace of the game has improved significantly. Whether he makes or misses his shots, he has learned to take them with confidence and live with the results.
Bad Timing
The Lakers’ young core showed tremendous growth in the last couple of games without James. They seemed to be finding their way behind Kyle Kuzma’s scoring and Ball’s passing ability. Brandon Ingram has also been adding in some key buckets despite his overall struggles.
It seemed that the Lakers’ young group had turned a corner recently. It was going to be interesting to see how this revamped young core mixed with the veterans upon their return. But now, the Ball injury will stunt the Lakers’ growth once again. This has been the story of the Lakers’ season thus far and it will be interesting to see if they can overcome the injuries moving forward.
Moving Forward
The Lakers should be receiving some reinforcements soon when Rondo and James return. James will try to regain his conditioning and rhythm after being sidelined for the longest stretch of his career.
The Lakers are currently tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. There are certainly no guarantees of making the playoffs, but it will be interesting to see if the Lakers can weather the injury storm once again.
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