The Los Angeles Lakers will be continuing their road trip on Wednesday when they play the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately, Lonzo Ball will not be playing.
Despite the injury to Lonzo Ball, the Los Angeles Lakers have been able to find some ways to win recently. As their starting point guard, the absence of Ball certainly makes the team worse. However, getting wins without him is encouraging.
When Ball was out at the end of December and the beginning of January, the Lakers lost six straight games. During that stretch, it was clear that the Lakers had no answer without Ball, and the tough competition they were facing didn’t make that easier.
After spraining his MCL against the Mavericks, Ball hasn’t played since. With the Lakers currently on a five-game road trip, Ball has yet to practice in full, and Luke Walton has already ruled him out for Wednesday’s showdown with the Orlando Magic.
Lonzo Ball will be out for tomorrow’s game in Orlando. He’s not practicing today.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) January 30, 2018
With Ball out once again, the Lakers will likely continue to start Tyler Ennis at point guard. However, the play of Alex Caruso lately has earned him a spot in the rotation. With Caruso playing better than Ennis, he could be taking his spot in the starting lineup soon.
Off the bench, Jordan Clarkson continues to play big minutes with Ball out. Clarkson has played well in extended minutes, as we have regularly seen him over 30 minutes per game with Ball out.
After the game against the Magic, the Lakers will have two more on the road trip against the Brooklyn Nets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since Ball has yet to practice, there is a chance that we won’t see him return on the rest of the road trip.
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As one of the key players for the Lakers’ future, they are certainly going to be playing it careful with Ball. So far in his rookie season, Ball has played well for the Lakers. Hopefully, he will be able to return soon.