Los Angeles Lakers medical team clears Lonzo Ball after knee surgery
Los Angeles Lakers point guard, Lonzo Ball, has been cleared to return to the court.
The Los Angeles Lakers received some great news this week. Point guard Lonzo Ball has been cleared for basketball activities, as he is taking another step towards returning to the court.
Ball underwent knee surgery about two months ago. It was revealed that the surgery was to remove a piece of his meniscus instead of repairing the injured part. That meant a faster rehab for Ball, as repairing the injured part would have kept him sidelined for months.
There was talk that the injury was leaked by Ball’s camp in an effort to lower his trade value. Whatever the motives may have been, Ball is still with the Lakers heading into training camp and presumably into the regular season.
The good news was revealed by general manager Rob Pelinka on Thursday.
"“He’s been 100 percent cleared by our medical staff to return to full basketball activity,” Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said Thursday, per Spectrum SportsNet’s Mike Trudell. “Because he hasn’t played NBA five-on-five for four or five months, there is a progression to come back.”"
While this is a good step, there is still plenty of work to do as Pelinka touched on. Ball will need to get back up to speed conditioning-wise, as he has been away from the court for a while now.
The Lakers will not push Ball beyond his current limits. Head coach Luke Walton discussed that with Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet. In addition, Walton let it be known that Ball would not be participating in five-on-five scrimmages next week once training camp begins.
Lonzo Ball (knee) won’t be ready for 5-on-5 scrimmages when training camp starts next week, Luke Walton told @SpectrumSN
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) September 18, 2018
Ball has done 1-on-1 drills, Walton said, but Lakers won’t “rush him back at all.”
Full Walton interview with @geeter3 airs Wednesday at 8 pm on @SpectrumSN
More from Lake Show Life
- Darvin Ham adds to Max Christie hype train after Lakers preseason opener
- Is LeBron James playing tonight? Latest Lakers vs Warriors update
- Can Darvin Ham put all of the Lakers puzzle pieces together?
- Lakers news: Darvin Ham knows his fifth starter, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino praise
- Michael Malone’s painfully ironic comment has Lakers fans heated
The Lakers begin the regular season on Oct. 18 against the Portland Trail Blazers. However, the Lakers would not guarantee that Ball would be on the court by then. Pelinka said that predicting the future when coming back from injury is impossible.
Pelinka is certainly right about that. Every rehab is different, so the Lakers will not push their young point guard unnecessarily.
Los Angeles also has the luxury of having a capable backup this season. Rajon Rondo is more than capable of holding down the fort until Ball is healthy and ready to return to the court. While his signing was dismissed by some people, Rondo is a major upgrade over what the Lakers had behind Ball last season.
Next. 4 Goals For Lonzo Ball In 2018-19 Season. dark
Hopefully, Ball is back on the court sooner than later. The Lakers have a ton of new faces in town, and they need to start building chemistry during practice in training camp.