Although Luke Walton and LeBron James have openly spoken about how much the Lakers defense misses Lonzo Ball, it looks like the return of the Lakers starting point guard will take a little while longer.
The Lakers were reportedly hopeful of getting Ball back after the All-Star break, but that timeline was evidently overly optimistic.
Ahead of a two-game road trip, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Lakers shouldn’t expect Ball back anytime soon. Ball is reportedly dealing with a bone bruise, something that has limited his recovery.
Ball began running on an underwater treadmill two weeks ago and last week he began work on an antigravity treadmill, but was limited because of the bone bruise.
Ball’s return would have certainly given the Lakers a major boost as they look to catapult themselves from 10th place to the playoff race. The Lakers played excellent defense in last night’s win over the Houston Rockets, but consistency has always been more of an issue than excellent singular efforts.
Ball or no Ball, LeBron James and the Lakers have to start playing consistent basketball if they’re going to squeak into the postseason.
