Luke Walton indicates Lonzo Ball may not return this season

If Lonzo Ball and LeBron James are going to work together anymore this season, it’s looking more likely LeBron James will A/R an upcoming Lonzo Ball album than them connecting for any highlight plays on the court.

As the Lakers season gradually comes to a close over the final 17 games of the season, they’re taking several precautions for the good of the franchise. One of those is cutting LeBron James’ minutes and also sitting him in back-to-back games. And according to Luke Walton, another one may be sitting Ball so he can fully heal his injured left ankle.

From Bill Oram of The Athletic

Luke Walton is making it sound likely that Lonzo Ball will sit out rest of season. He has stressed he’s “not close” to returning to practice, and LAL would want a week’s worth of practice before putting in games. Goal could soon shift to getting him healthy for full offseason.

— Bill Oram (@billoram) March 8, 2019

Ball’s return was looked at as a pivotal moment for the Lakers playoff run, but it appears that plan was scrapped now that the Lakers have lost five of their last seven games.

The Lakers are currently 6.5 games out of the 8th spot in the West with 17 games left, giving them a less than 1% chance of making the postseason.