NBA Rumors: Lonzo Ball May Need More Time To Recover From Injury

Lonzo Ball continues to sit out for the Los Angeles Lakers after suffering a grade-3 ankle sprain last Jan. 19 during a game against the Houston Rockets. Originally, it was forecasted that the 21-year-old would miss four to six weeks.

But at the rate he is recovering from the injury, it looks like Ball may be out for longer than that period. According to the Los Angeles Times, Ball has begun running on an underwater treadmill and will soon be able to run on an Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill. He was on crutches for less than a week and was able to remove his walking boots shortly thereafter.

Doing the math, the four-week period since Ball's injury would end on Feb. 16, while the sixth week would fall on March 2. The Lakers are not scheduled to play until Feb. 21, a much-needed respite since Los Angeles is hounded by injuries. If the forecasted return holds up, Ball could be back for the Lakers after the NBA All-Star break.

But the hitch is that if Ball is only progressing to running underwater, he may be far from making an acceptable recovery. There could be some missing details in that report that could explain why the Lakers could (somehow) expect the second pick of the 2017 NBA Draft to return on schedule, the Silver Screen and Roll reported.

If the Lakers are to make the NBA playoffs, they need Ball or any reliable guard to help LeBron James and company. Aside from Ball, also injured is Josh Hart. The 30th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft has been hampered by tendinitis and has reportedly received a PRP injection to treat his right knee, ESPN reported. He is not expected to suit up when the Lakers play the Atlanta Hawks.

With most of the young guards in sickbay, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Bullock and even LeBron James may have to fill in the void temporarily. This means extended minutes for some Laker players, something that will hopefully not result in further injuries.

There is also the question of harmony within the Lakers' ranks following Magic Johnson's pitch for Anthony Davis. As mentioned in a previous post, offered were Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley, the latter of whom would later on be shipped to the Los Angeles Clippers.