The injury bug continues to nag the Los Angeles Lakers with Lonzo Ball being the latest player to be bitten.
Midway through the third quarter of the Lakers' Saturday, Jan. 19 match-up against the Houston Rockets, Ball went down with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury. In obvious pain, the young point guard had to be carried off the court by teammates Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley, leaving fans to hope the situation was not as serious as it looked.
Unfortunately, Lakers Nation's nightmares came true. After several tests and an MRI, team doctors confirmed Lonzo does indeed have a serious, grade 3 ankle sprain that will have him sidelined for four-to-six weeks.
This puts a dent in L.A.'s already slim bench. As a result, coach Luke Walton is expected to pull Alex Caruso from the Lakers' G League affiliate to help fill the void created by Ball and Rajon Rondo (who underwent surgery on his right ring finger).
Ball's injury also raises questions as to when LeBron James will return to the court. As of right now, his left groin injury is listed as day-by-day. And prior to Ball's incident, James' team was adamant about recovering on their own timeline. However, with Ball out and the Lakers steadily falling in the Western Conference standings, it will be interesting to see if this sways James' decisions.
