Lakers News: Lonzo Ball Had PRP Shot for Knee Injury After Season
Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball required a platelet-rich plasma on his left knee after suffering a contusion that caused him to miss the final eight games of the season, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com.
The injury didn't require surgery, but he needed to stay off the court for a month.
"Just basically took time off [to let the knee heal]," Ball said. "They [treated] it and it feels good now."
Ball, 20, was bitten by the injury bug during his rookie campaign, most notably when a sprained MCL cost him six weeks of the season. When he's been on the court he's been solid if unspectacular, averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
While he didn't offer the impact of other rookies like Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum—and there's an argument to be made that Kyle Kuzma was the team's best rookie this year, not Ball—it's also hard to imagine the Lakers are regretting their choice with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2017 NBA draft.
Ball has shown flashes, though his development remains tied to his jumper. He shot just 36.0 percent from the field this year and 30.5 percent from three. To say that Ball has been streaky in that regard is fair—he shot just 24.6 percent from three in 14 November games, whereas he raised that to 37.7 percent in 10 December contests.
In March, meanwhile, he sat closer to his season average, hitting on 27.5 percent of his threes. So it's been a struggle. Nonetheless, Ball's playmaking and ability to push the play in transition make the Lakers more dangerous.
The injury shouldn't prevent the guard from going into next season at 100 percent.
