The Los Angeles Lakers may be on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from this year's playoffs, but the organization did receive good news in regards to young forward Brandon Ingram. The former second-overall pick was sidelined for the year after he was diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis in his right arm, but according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Ingram's surgery was successful and he's expected to be ready for the start of the 2019-2020 season.
Lakers‘ Brandon Ingram underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery on his right arm and is expected to make full recovery for next season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2019
Ingram had missed two games with shoulder pain earlier this month before being diagnosed with the condition, which is caused by a blood clot and frequently accompanied by swelling and pain in a limb. The condition usually occurs in legs, but can occur in the upper body.
A recurring deep venous thrombosis in his leg caused Chris Bosh to retire, after it grew into a pulmonary embolism. Fortunately, a deep venous thrombosis located in someone's upper body is generally considered less threatening than one in their lower half.
Ingram was averaging a career-best 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game along with 3 assists, and was playing some of the best ball of his young career before this development. The pressures of the NBA trade deadline passing seemed to lift a weight off of Ingrams shoulders, in the six games he played after the All Star Break, he had been averaging 27.8 points per game.
An unhappy Anthony Davis had been trying to push himself out of New Orleans, and seemingly towards the Lakers. Ingram had been the centerpiece of any trade talks between the two teams. Now with both teams out of the playoffs, Davis resting for the fourth quarters of games and Ingram recovering from surgery, major changes are expected in both organizations.
The Lakers are 31-38, and 8.5 games behind the Clippers for the eighth seed, and Ingram may have played his last game in a Lakers jersey.
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