Lonzo Ball had an impactful rookie season for the Lakers last year and showed flashes of being a successful player on a winning team. However, one of the issues Ball faced his rookie year was injury woes. He appeared in only 52 games for the purple and gold last year and missed the team’s final eight games due to a knee issue that required off-season surgery.
There seems to be good news on that front, though, as General Manager Rob Pelinka confirmed that the 20-year-old is now ready to return to the court, just in time for training camp next week.
The Lakers were notoriously patient with bringing players back from injuries last year so seeing that they’re taking a cautious approach shouldn’t be surprising, and it’s likely the right move.
Ball was sidelined from normal basketball activities for most of the off-season but did get some work in on his shot and spent time breaking down film with Rajon Rondo and Magic Johnson, Pelinka also confirmed.
The Lakers will need their former second overall pick to shoot better from distance and make defenses pay from there as he will likely have the ball in his hands slightly less with the additions of Rondo and LeBron James to the team. But the most vital part of this news is that Ball is ready to return to action and he was able to improve his game in other ways while being off the court for part of the summer.
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