Lonzo Ball remains indisposed due to an ankle sprain and the Los Angeles Lakers remain clueless on whether he can actually return this 2018-19 NBA season. An unrevealed bone bruise pushed back his potential return to active duty, more woes for the purple and gold to take in.
One person who is expected to get sleepless nights through all of it is Lakers head coach Luke Walton. He admits that he has no idea on when Ball can return to the lineup and that the doctors and training staff simply said that they will just let him know, the LA Times said.
As of this writing, the Lakers have fallen to the 11th spot in the NBA Western Conference with a 29-31 record. Ahead of them are the Minnesota Timberwolves (29-31), Sacramento Kings (31-29) and the San Antonio Spurs (33-29). Should they continue to lose, the New Orleans Pelicans (27-35) could further push them to the bottom.
Making matters worse for the Lakers is the fact that LeBron James is not at 100-percent, the Silver Screen and Roll said. The King continues to labor on a groin injury and forcing the issue could be detrimental to Los Angeles' campaign not only for this season but to future seasons.
The Lakers have roughly 20 games left and the only way they can reach the NBA playoffs is to start winning. But more importantly, the bigger question is whether they bring back Ball and/or force James to play the remaining games with risks of aggravating his groin injury.
Also, a return by Ball may not entirely hold promise. Like James, he is unlikely to be at 100-percent. The only way for Walton and his boys to make the playoffs is to have someone else in the lineup step up and help the ailing Lakers stars.
Should the Lakers opt to tank, another question enters the mix - the fate of Luke Walton. The season has hounded the 38-year-old on whether he is the right man to mentor the rebuilding Lakers. While he has gained some headway, not all Lakers supporters are content mainly because Los Angeles is one of the acclaimed winning franchises in the NBA.
The Lakers are hurting and despite mini moves during the NBA trade deadline, the road ahead is not looking so good. James can try and drop triple-doubles this season but the lack of support from his teammates puts all that to waste.
