New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin gave some updates regarding the injuries of two of their newest players, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball.
In an interview with SiriusXM’s NBA Radio, Griffin told hosts Eddie Johnson and Justin Termine that Ingram could start playing five-on-five scrimmages, while Ball will still need a few more weeks to fully recover (h/t Lonzo Wire):
“Brandon’s ready, I think, pretty much to transition to live five-on-five now. He’s maybe three of four days away from that but he’s ready to take that next step. Lonzo may be two weeks away from making that step — to being real live in his action, but he’s doing very, very well physically and I know those guys are all really excited about the opportunity with us.”
Ball suffered an ankle sprain back on Jan. 19 and hasn't played since. Meanwhile, Ingram was diagnosed with blood clots in his shooting arm. They missed a combined 65 games for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.
The Pelicans acquired Ball and Ingram in a trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers. New Orleans knew it was getting two injury-riddled players in the deal, but decided to look at both players' potential rather than their injury history.
Ball and Ingram were the second overall picks in their respective draft classes, and while they were unable to live up to the expectations in their brief stint with the Lakers, they certainly will have a bigger opportunity to shine with the Pelicans as the franchise looks to move past Davis.
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