12d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee), who was already ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Rockets, will also miss Wednesday's season finale against the Clippers, Mike Trudell of Lakers.com reports.
Impact
Ball will finish his rookie campaign sitting out the final eight games due to a knee injury, bringing his total games missed during his rookie season up to 30. While that's certainly not how the 2017 second-overall pick wanted to start his career, Ball still showed flashes of his play-making ability and scoring potential. Over 52 contests, Ball ended up with averages of 10.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 three-pointers across 34.2 minutes. In addition, he shot 36 percent from the field and 30.5 percent from three-point land. With an offseason to get fully healthy and work on his shot, Ball should show improvements heading into his sophomore campaign, making him an extremely intriguing fantasy target to monitor for next year's drafts.
12d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) is out for Tuesday's contest against the Rockets, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet reports.
Impact
There was some hope that Ball would be able to make a return Tuesday after six straight absences, but that ultimately will not be the case. In his stead, Alex Caruso looks to be in line for another start. Ball's final chance to take the floor arrives Wednesday against the Clippers.
13d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game against the Rockets, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum Sportsnet reports.
Impact
Ball has missed the last six games with a lingering left knee bruise and despite being listed as questionable, expect the Lakers to remain cautious with their prized rookie. An official update on his availability will likely be provided following Tuesday's morning shootaround, but either way, Ball seems likely to miss one, or both, games of the Lakers upcoming back-to-back set.
14d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup with the Jazz, Shahan Ahmed of NBC Los Angeles reports.
Impact
Ball will be missing a sixth straight game, though considering he had previously been ruled questionable, it appears he's getting closer to a potential return. While the Lakers are going to be as cautious as possible with their prized rookie, there's an outside shot he plays in one, or both, of the team's upcoming games against the Rockets and Clippers to end the season. In the meantime, Alex Caruso figures to make a nother start at point guard, with Josh Hart getting big minutes in the backcourt as well.
15d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) is questionable for Sunday's contest against the Jazz, Andy Larsen of KSL.com reports.
Impact
Ball has missed five straight games as a result of a left knee bruise, though may be able to take the floor for the Lakers' third-to-last game of the season. More word on his status should arrive after he tests things out during Sunday's morning shootaround.
17d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) has been ruled out of Friday's matchup with the Timberwolves, according to the Lakers' game notes.
Impact
Ball will miss his fifth straight contest due to a left knee contusion. With the Lakers officially eliminated from the playoff race, it's not out of the question for the team to keep the starting point guard out the remainder of the year to ensure the contusion doesn't get worse. As a result, look for Alex Caruso to continue his role as starter against the Timberwolves.
17d | RotoWire
News
Coach Luke Walton said Thursday that Ball (knee) is likely out for Friday's game against the Timberwolves, Mike Trudell of the Lakers' official site reports.
Impact
Should Ball officially be ruled out for Friday's outing, it would be his fifth straight absence while he continues to nurse a bruised left knee. Given that the Lakers have nothing more to play for, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team elect to hold the rookie out for the rest of the season as a precautionary measure, but he'll continue to be evaluated on a game-by-game basis until that update comes. Alex Caruso is in line to start at point guard yet again in Ball's expected absence with Tyler Ennis and Josh Hart both playing sizable roles off the bench.
18d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) is listed as out for Wednesday's game against the Spurs.
Impact
Ball continues to work his way back from a left knee bruise and is in line to miss a fourth consecutive game Wednesday. With only four games left on the schedule following Wednesday's contest, the Lakers could consider shutting Ball down entirely, though nothing official on that has been decided at this point in time. In the meantime, Alex Caruso figures to pick up another start, with Josh Hart seeing a significant workload off the bench.
19d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) is out for Tuesday's contest against the Jazz, Bill Oram of The Orange County Register reports. According to coach Luke Walton, "We're gonna wait until he's all the way healthy, if that happens."
Impact
Ball will be sidelined for a third straight contest Tuesday as he continues to work back from a left knee bruise. With the playoffs out of the question and the season nearing its close, the team is opting to play it safe with the rookie. His next chance to take the floor arrives Wednesday against the Spurs.
20d | RotoWire
News
Ball (knee) is listed as doubtful for Tuesday's matchup with the Jazz, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Impact
Ball is reportedly traveling with the Lakers on their road trip, but unless he makes some unexpected progress overnight, he should miss a third straight game. In Tuesday's tilt with the Kings, it was Alex Caruso (30 minutes) that drew the start at point guard, while guys like Josh Hart (26 minutes) and Tyler Ennis (16 minutes) filled in with added run off the bench. Look for official confirmation that Ball is out following Tuesday's morning shootaround.
2017: R1 2nd
