The Los Angeles Lakers are counting the days until Lonzo Ball return to the floor.
In the 13 games the Lakers have played without their starting point guard, they’ve gone 4-9. During that time, they’ve posted a defensive rating of 115.7, the fifth-worst defensive rating in the NBA, and are turning the ball over more than any team in the league (17.2).
Following the Lakers’ discouraging to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, LeBron James told Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times that the team is missing all of the little things Lonzo Ball does on the court:
“We obviously miss another ballhandler, another playmaker,” James said. “A guy that’s very, very good defensively. With his ability to get a steal and pressure the offensive point guard and then push the pace for us, get into our early offense. So we miss that a lot.”
Unfortunately, Ball likely won’t be back on the court any time in the near future.
Ball has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans and according to Lakers head coach Luke Walton, there is currently no timetable for his return.
If the Lakers can string together a couple of wins over the next few weeks, there will be an increased sense of urgency to get Ball back on the court for a late-season playoff push. If not, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Lakers shut down Ball for the remainder of the season.
For his sake and the Lakers’, let’s hope it’s the former.
