With the Los Angeles Lakers back to their winning ways, having been victorious in eight of their last 10 contests, the only question hanging over the team is when rookie point guard Lonzo Ball will return to the court.
Ball has missed the last six games with a strained knee and there has been no timetable for his return. It does, however, finally look like he’s getting close to returning to practice.
According to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, Lonzo has been doing some drills on the court as well as some weight room work, but still has yet to practice:
Walton said Lonzo Ball has been doing some shooting and dribbling drills on the court with the coaching staff, plus lifting and treadmill work, but still hasn’t practiced. Would not expect him to play in Toronto on Sunday.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 27, 2018
There has also been some clarification on exactly what has been bothering Lonzo via Bill Oram of the OC Register:
Lakers have clarified that Lonzo Ball’s knee sprain was to his MCL, which limits his lateral movement. Timeline is generally 1-3 weeks. Ball suggeeed his sprained two weeks ago in Dallas.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) January 27, 2018
Head coach Luke Walton has been pretty steadfast on his rule that nobody will be suiting up before they make it through a full practice. As such, the likelihood of Lonzo playing in Sunday’s game is slim at best.
Nonetheless, Ball actually doing work on the court is an improvement as he had only been doing some treadmill work for the better part of the last two weeks. There finally seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel for his return.
The Lakers have finally figured out how to win without their point guard as they have won four straight after dropping the first eight games without Lonzo. Even still, the Lakers are a much better team with him on the floor so his return is being anxiously awaited.
Lonzo leads the Lakers in assists per game at 7.1, to go along with 10.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
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