Lakers News: Luke Walton Says LA Will Be 'Patient' with Lonzo Ball's Recovery
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball has already been medically cleared after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in July, but the team will ease him back onto the court as he continues rehabbing.
Ball will not play in Tuesday's preseason game against the Denver Nuggets as the Lakers try to get him back up to speed before throwing him into the heat of competition.
"There’s nothing like playing in those NBA games, as far as how hard you have to compete and cutting and the way you get hit with screens," Los Angeles coach Luke Walton told The Athletic's Bill Oram on Monday. "So just because, again, he’s been out so long we’re just trying to be patient with it."
Stadium's Shams Charania reported in late June that Ball had a torn left meniscus. The second-year guard went under the knife several weeks later, a procedure the team deemed a success.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka revealed on Sept. 20, per Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Trudell, that Ball had been "100 percent cleared" by the team's medical staff two months after the operation. However, even then, Walton made it known Los Angeles would not "rush [Ball] back at all," according to Spectrum SportsNet's Mike Bresnahan.
Even a month out, Pelinka acknowledged there's a chance the former No. 2 overall pick may not be ready for the Oct. 18 season opener.
"It's impossible to predict the future when you're coming back from an injury," Pelinka said, according to Bresnahan.
Walton said on Sunday, per Oram, that Ball will play "when he’s ready and confident."
The 20-year-old guard discussed his conditioning (and his jumper) during media day last week:
Making sure Ball is healthy for the duration of the season is more important than pushing him to be in the lineup for Game 1. Once four-time NBA MVP LeBron James signed with the team in July, the Lakers went from rebuild mode to contenders. In other words, their season will be judged on May and June, not October.
For what it's worth, James was impressed by his new teammate's progress, noting it doesn't even seem like he recently had surgery.
"I didn’t know he was going to be full-go so fast," James said, per Oram. "He’s been going through live drills. ...His bounce is there. His speed is there. So I don’t even know if he even had surgery."
Ball has impressed to this point in the recovery process, but there's a big difference between practice and a game against NBA competition. Not only does Ball have to show he's healthy, but he also has to get acclimated with a new-look squad that now features James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley and JaVale McGee.
Should Ball not be ready for the season opener, Rondo will start at the point for the Lakers after signing a one-year deal this offseason.
