Through 10 games with the Los Angeles Lakers in January, Lonzo Ball averaged 11.1 points, seven assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Those numbers weren’t going to earn him Player of the Week honors from the NBA, but they were a sign of steady improvement from the young point guard.
Then, on January 19, Ball suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain in a tightly-contested game against the Houston Rockets. That would be the last game of Ball’s season, and the last game of his Lakers career.
Ball didn’t know that for sure at the time, but during his media day press conference on Monday, he said he was confident he’d be traded after his second consecutive season-ending injury.
“I never was 100 percent sure. I had a good feeling All-Star break. I feel like the injury kind of did it for me, like getting hurt twice in a row and not being able to pretty much prove myself that season. We were trying to make the playoffs and I couldn’t help because I was hurt, but after that with the trade talks after All-Star break, I had a good feeling (I’d be traded).”
The saying goes that the best ability is availability — especially for a young player who has four seasons to show he’s worth a long-term investment — and Ball hasn’t been available for the last two seasons.
Hopefully with the Pelicans’ revamped training staff and the right footwear, Ball will have a healthier season in New Orleans. Otherwise, he could be on the move again sooner rather than later.
