Lonzo Ball sprained his left ankle last Monday during a preseason contest against the Nuggets and the Lakers think their first-rounder may sit out the remainder of the preseason, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN writes. Ball, 19, also sat out a portion of the Summer League a few months ago due to a calf strain.
Lakers head coach Luke Walton did not rule out Ball missing the season opener if his balky ankle does not improve. Walton said that Ball does not feel pain running straight but side-to-side movements are causing the UCLA product discomfort. Ball tried practicing on Sunday but he could not do it pain-free, Walton said.
“If he is not ready, he won’t [play],” Walton said. “Again, it is day to day so I assume he will be back by then. If he’s not ready to play basketball and really cut and move and do everything that you need that ankle you need it to do for you, we are not going to play him.”
Check out other tidbits of news out the Pacific Division:
- Klay Thompson said the Warriors aspire to be a dynasty like the Michael Jordan-led Bulls of the 1990s, ESPN’s Nick Friedell writes. Thompson said that fanfare and success surrounding the franchise can eventually be on par with the legendary Bulls team; Golden State enters 2017/18 aiming for a third NBA championship in four seasons.
- Kings head coach Dave Joerger wants Bogdan Bogdanovic to use his years of international experience in the NBA and stop passing up open shots, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes.
- Alex Len has posted 16.6 PPG and 9.3 RPG for the Suns during the preseason and the team is thrilled with the 24-year-old’s progress, NBA.com’s Cody Cunningham writes.
- Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is impressed with rookie Sindarius Thornwell‘s toughness, which bodes well for his future with the team this season, Elliot Teaford of The Orange County Register writes.
Rivers never plays young guys, and wastes them away on his bench. Sindarius Thornwell is a good defender, and plays the game hard. He should see minutes, but i doubt it