The Los Angeles Lakers are feeling optimistic that Brandon Ingram’s health will not be a worry this upcoming season.
The Los Angeles Lakers 2018-2019 campaign was an absolute train wreck in every sense of the term. Little seemed to go right for the Lakers as they missed the playoffs for a franchise-record sixth straight year.
However, one particular setback the team dealt with during the later portion of the year was truly scary. When team doctors detected small forward Brandon Ingram had a blood clot in his shooting shoulder, nobody knew what to think. It was the kind of thing that is way bigger than the game of basketball.
Ralph Orense of ClutchPoints recently shed light on why the discovery of a blood clot within Ingram was so terrifying. A lot of reason behind the concern about Ingram is because similar problems have sadly ended the careers of athletes. One primary example is a former teammate of LeBron James: Chris Bosh.
Premature retirement due to an issue along these lines is perhaps the worst news an athlete can hear. There is also the matter of that old-fashioned saying “ball is life,” which holds a profound sense of meaning for many. In other words, without the presence of sports, life is not as purposeful for players.
Ingram’s case was particularly spooky given factors like his age. The lanky ballplayer is just 21 years of age, so the thought of a blood clot was all too eye-opening.
The positive to bear in mind about Ingram is that the blood clot was found pretty quickly. Per Sam Quinn of 247 Sports, what B.I. experienced was “life-threatening” if it was ignored. Therefore, it is encouraging that the Lakers’ medical staff was on top of things regarding Ingram’s condition.
Given the fact that the team was able to discover Ingram’s blood clot when they did, figuring out the next step became a tad easier. The 6-foot-9 Laker underwent successful thoracic outlet decompression surgery in an effort to obliterate the problem.
On that note, Ingram’s status quo is not as big of a worry as it was during the initial stages. Granted his treatment regime is unknown, there is the additional reason as to why there is hope in the air for the 21-year-old.
Shams Charania of The Athletic made a recent appearance on The Sedano Show, and expects Ingram will be okay heading into the fall.
Erik García Gundersen of LeBron Wire took the time to transcribe Charania’s words regarding Ingram’s health, which are as follows.
"“…everyone around Ingram and people around the Lakers expect him to be fine. It’s nothing like Bosh’s leg, it was more upper-body underneath his armpit. There is optimism on every single side. He’s proved he’s very much part of the Lakers core if they want to move forward with him.”"
This is extremely great news, to say the least. A few months ago many folks not only worried whether Ingram would play again but about his life in general. Thus, to know the young man seems to be heading in the right direction is the best thing the Lakers could have hoped to hear.
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During his third year in the league, Ingram continued to demonstrate why the Lakers took a chance on him a few summers back. In 2018-2019, he occupied averages of 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game.
Quinn reminds readers that Ingram’s best performances came just prior to his unfortunate scare. In his final six games, B.I. netted 27.8 points a night to go along with 7.5 boards. Ergo, despite the way his season ended, that sample size revealed his true potential.
Assuming Ingram is healthy, it is reasonable to think No. 14’s best years are ahead of him. He is still rather young, and his scoring average has improved every year he has been in the NBA.
The one uncertainty to be mindful of right now is whether he will continue to be with Los Angeles. Depending on who they target, the Lakers may intend to use B.I. as a trade chip this summer.
Because of their desire to get another proven All-Star alongside James, that is a realistic possibility. Accompanied by their number four pick, moving Ingram and another piece for a star is not improbable.
On the contrary, if the squad elects to keep Ingram, it would certainly not be the worst thing in the world, either. He is an integral part of the team’s young core, and he could honestly produce monster numbers in his fourth year if no more health concerns arise.