After suffering an MCL sprain against the Dallas Mavericks, Lonzo Ball has missed the last 13 games for the Los Angeles Lakers. Fortunately for head coach Luke Walton and company, the Lakers have finally found a way to win without Ball, going 8-5 during this latest stretch.
With the All-Star break quickly approaching, Ryan Ward of ClutchPoints provided an injury update on Ball's situation:
Lonzo Ball participated in practice today at the facility. It was non-contact, however. He will go with the team on the road trip before heading into the All-Star break. #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 12, 2018
As Ball will travel with the team after participating in non-contact drills for the first time, it will be interesting to see if the rookie point guard will be able to participate in the 2018 NBA Rising Stars Challenge in Los Angeles. Along with Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma will be representing the Lakers during this year's festivities.
If Ball is able to return after the break, all the attention will be on how he co-exists with the team's newest addition, Isaiah Thomas. While President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson says Ball will be the team's starting point guard when he returns, there will be plenty of opportunities for both players to share the backcourt for Walton.
After Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka took another step in clearing enough cap space for two max contract players, the focus in the second half of the 2017-18 NBA season will be on making Los Angeles an attractive destination once again. If the young core can continue to improve and win at the same time, the Lakers will give themselves a legitimate chance of speeding up the rebuilding process.
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