Lonzo Ball is due to have his left ankle re-evaluated by Los Angeles Lakers physicians Thursday afternoon, with the team expected to provide an update on his status later that day or Friday morning.
Ball will miss Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and presumably Friday’s matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks and Saturday’s road game against the Phoenix Suns as well. He suffered a sprained left ankle on Jan. 19.
An MRI confirmed the following day revealed it was a Grade 3 sprain, and Ball was given a timetable of four to six weeks. Although he’s approaching the end of it, a bone bruise in the ankle is delaying his return.
His prolonged absence has been most felt on the defensive end, where the Lakers have posted a 115.7 defensive rating — fourth-worst in the NBA — over the 13 games Ball has missed. The Lakers are a mere 4-9 in those contests.
After Wednesday, they will have 21 games remaining. That, coupled with limited practice time being available, will place added pressure on Ball to clear the necessary hurdles before being inserted back into the lineup.
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