The woes of the Los Angeles Lakers continue with several other stars sidelined. Brandon Ingram found himself shelved for the season as well due to a blood clot issue, joining teammate Lonzo Ball in sickbay.
But while Ball is likely being saved for next season, there is uncertainty on when the 21-year-old Ingram can return. He was diagnosed with Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT), something that occurs when a person has a blood clot in a vein far away from the surface of a person's skin. Typically these clots form within the legs and are discovered once people experience aching in the affected area. They are often misdiagnosed in athletes because aching and soreness are typical of playing a sport regularly at a high level, Complex said.
Ingram joins a list of names who have dealt with blood clot-related issues. But one person that best comes to mind is Chris Bosh. After being forced out of the 2016 NBA season, the 34-year-old center-forward grew frustrated as he failed to get the proper medical clearance to return to active duty. He would eventually retire after repeatedly failing physicals.
This is not to say that Ingram is headed the same road as Bosh. It will all depend on how well he is able to treat the blood clot issue. In fact, there are others who were able to overcome it. That includes Anderson Varejao and Serena Williams, Basketball Insiders said.
The important thing for Ingram right now is to get well. The worst thing he can do is rush himself back into action and risk aggravating his condition. It is a delicate condition and Bosh is living proof of how it can immediately shut a person's basketball career.
Ingram is still young although there is the risk of losing marketability at this stage. But returning at full strength will have its benefits, particularly playing the game with no interruptions. It also means having to worry less about unfortunate mishaps that are life-threatening in nature. These are the possibilities and repercussions that the second overall pick of the 2016 NBA Draft will have to factor in.
For the Lakers, possibly playing without Ingram is a big blow moving forward. They lose a key player up front and will have to fill that up with someone in the summer. There are big-name prospects although the Lakers will have to re-evaluate their needs with Ingram's return questionable.
