Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball has bone bruise that could delay his return

Los Angeles Lakers point guard, Lonzo Ball, suffered a severe ankle sprain and has been expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. Now, it’s being reported that there’s a new problem with that same ankle.

Lonzo Ball, the Los Angeles Lakers’ much-hyped second-year point guard, was showing some signs of progressing in late December and January, most notably with his outside shooting, which has been arguably the biggest hole in his game.

After LeBron James went down with a sprained groin and Rajon Rondo sustained a sprained finger in the team’s 127-101 spanking of the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, Lonzo took on more responsibilities on offense. In his next 13 games he shot 37.3 percent from downtown while averaging 12.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists a game. He was also improving as a floor general in the half court game.

Then, just as it looked like he was about to direct his team to an upset win in Houston, he rolled his left ankle and completely tore a ligament. At the time of the diagnosis, the team announced that he was expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times reported that he was starting to run on an Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill, which seemed like a good sign.

But now there’s apparently been a setback. On February 22, ESPN reported that a source confirmed to them that Ball has a bone bruise in that same ankle that could keep him out past the original six week timetable.

Going back to last season, durability has been a major concern for the former UCLA star. He missed the last eight games of last season with a bone bruise in his knee, but after a few months of looking into different treatment options, it hadn’t healed, forcing him to undergo arthroscopic surgery in July. This procedure greatly limited what Lonzo could do in terms of conditioning and working on his game during an offseason that President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson said would be the biggest of the point guard’s life.

Earlier last season, he also missed a slew of games when he sprained his MCL, resulting in a total of 31 missed games during Lonzo’s rookie campaign.

It’s starting to get to the point where one has to wonder if he is injury prone. Watching video of his ankle injury last month, it looked bad, but not Grade 3 sprain (a complete tear) bad. I personally was thinking maybe he’d miss a couple weeks, as many NBA players don’t miss that much time when they sprain their ankle.

This is starting to feel like Andrew Bynum all over again. Bynum emerged big time in the 2007-08 season, his third, and as his game improved early that season, so did the Lakers’ fortunes, as they went from a mediocre to a very good team. He then suffered a dislocated kneecap and bone bruise in mid-January that was supposed to keep him out for a couple months, but he instead missed the rest of the season and the playoffs.

Midway through the next season he sprained his MCL after once again coming on strong and playing at almost an All-Star level. He returned for the playoffs, but was relegated to being a token center rather than a difference-making one. The rest of his career – all three years of it – was a roller coaster ride between him playing really well and getting some kind of knee injury, and after a while he lost interest in basketball altogether.

If the Lakers are to make the playoffs and make some noise there, they’ll need Lonzo to return and stay on the court. Despite his major problems and inconsistency as an offensive threat, he is a very good passer and facilitator. Perhaps his greatest value to the team is on the defensive end, where his long 6-foot-6 frame allows him to bother players at two or three different positions.

Lately, the Lakers have been struggling defensively and have been 26th in defensive efficiency in the 11 games since his injury. Before that they were consistently in the top 10 in that category. Especially on the defensive end, the Lakers could use a healthy Lonzo Ball.