Lakers' Ball to have ankle re-evaluated Saturday, could miss rest of season
The Los Angeles Lakers' Lonzo Ball will have his sprained left ankle re-evaluated on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times' Tania Ganguli.
However, Lakers coach Luke Walton is bracing for the possibility that the second-year point guard is simply shut down for the year:
Lonzo Ball isn’t close to returning, Luke Walton says. Says the priority is making sure he gets healthy and has a full offseason. It’s possible he doesn’t play again this season.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) March 8, 2019
Ball last played on Jan. 19, missing the Lakers' past 18 contests.
The 21-year-old has had an up and down year for the Lakers, seeing his playing time fall from his rookie campaign while his effective field-goal percentage has risen to a career-best 48.8 percent. Overall, Ball has averaged 9.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game.
With 17 regular-season contests remaining, the Lakers occupy the 11th seed in the Western Conference, currently sitting 6.5 games behind their city rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, for the eighth and final postseason berth.