Lakers News: Lonzo Ball Could Miss Rest of Season with Ankle Injury

Lonzo Ball's ongoing ankle issues don't appear as if they will be bringing him back to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers any time soon. 

Per Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, Ball is going to have his injured ankle re-evaluated by doctors on Saturday. 

Per The Athletic's Bill Oram, Lakers head coach Luke Walton stressed Ball is "not close" to returning and they want him to have at least one week of practice before returning to games. 

Walton added Ball could miss the rest of this season to get back to 100 percent and is able to do a full offseason conditioning program, per Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.

Ball has been out of action since spraining his ankle against the Houston Rockets on Jan. 19. He was unable to put pressure on it and had to be carried off the court by his teammates:

The Lakers announced Ball would miss four to six weeks after an MRI revealed a Grade 3 sprain. The full six-week timetable would have put him on track to return around March 1. 

Per Trudell, as recently as Tuesday, Ball is still limited to light shooting and work with athletic trainers:

With Ball out of the lineup for the past 18 games, the Lakers have just five wins. They are 5.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 17 to play. 

Ball has appeared in 47 games for the Lakers in 2018-19. The 21-year-old is averaging 9.9 points, 5.4 assists and 5.3 rebounds per contest.