Rookie point guard Lonzo Ball was finally able to participate in a team scrimmage for the Los Angeles Lakers in practice on Monday. Ball missed the final three preseason games with a sprained ankle, but
Ball missed the final three preseason games with a sprained ankle leading to speculation that the season opener against the L.A. Clippers may be in jeopardy. Although Ball was noticeably rusty in his first scrimmage back from injury, the UCLA also showed why he could have a bright future, according to head coach Luke Walton.
“Lonzo [Ball] showed why he's going to be really good, but he also showed he's been out for a couple of weeks with some of the turnovers he had,” Walton said.
Ball's best attribute was a little off during Monday's scrimmage. Walton claims Ball understandably was a step slow with his timing.
“Passing,” Walton said. “It was probably a little bit of everything. Timing. The passing was probably fine, but it was the timing of when he was making the passes. Reacting to guys being open was a little off. Way too many turnovers for him, but still very nice to have him on the court.”
Fortunately for Ball, the 19-year-old has two more days to get back up to speed after missing over a week of practice with his Lakers teammates. The storied franchise will get the 2017-18 campaign underway on Thursday as they'll play host to the Clippers at the Staples Center before heading on the road to take on the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
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