Lonzo Ball may miss remainder of season with ankle injury

The Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff hopes have all but faded out of existence, and any lingering hopes received a major blow on Friday.

According to coach Luke Walton, guard Lonzo Ball could be out for the remainder of the season and is not close to a return from his ankle injury.

Luke Walton says it’s possible that Lonzo Ball misses the remainder of the season. Walton says Ball is not close to a return. He hasn’t done anything outside of dribbling drills and standstill shooting after injuring his ankle on Jan. 19. Ball will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 8, 2019

The original prognosis on Ball’s injury was 4-to-6 weeks, but that’s going to pass with no sign of his return. With the team’s playoff hopes fading, there’s also little reason to rush him back. While he’s not a star on offense, the Lakers have definitely missed his defense over the past few weeks as they’ve faded from playoff contention.