Podcast: We should have known Lonzo Ball wouldn’t be back in six weeks

Lonzo Ball was never going to return anywhere near the original time frame the Lakers offered. As he didn’t, his reputation and that of the medical staff suffers for something that isn’t their fault.

Lonzo Ball is still out and will probably remain as such for a while longer. The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday that while he’s made progress, he hasn’t made enough to really even offer up a definitive return date, though that has become the team’s calling card for this kind of information.

Today’s podcasts look Ball’s injury, how the Lakers handle that information and how the team will move forward without him. Also covered: Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma’s resurgence, and whether they can carry the Lakers in the meantime.

Locked on Lakers

Pete and I start today’s episode by discussing the way the Lakers handle information regarding players’ return from injury. In Lonzo’s case, they initially announced a recovery period of four-to-six weeks. This was always hugely optimistic, and bordering on completely unrealistic for a Grade 3 ankle sprain (which usually takes closer to 10-12 weeks to get back from).

As a result, yesterday’s “update” that he’ll need another week before he’s even re-evaluated probably annoyed fans that were being unrealistic as a result of the way the Lakers handled this information. Had they merely announced something that coincided with typical return timeframes with this kind of injury, fans wouldn’t have had the reaction they did yesterday. This allows for all kinds of speculation that no one really wants.

Pete and I also discussed what this means for the Lakers on the court. Rajon Rondo can’t be a starting point guard in the NBA in 2019, nor can he play more than, say, 20 minutes a night. How will the Lakers make that work while keeping up with the playoff race? Can they do that while two of the five positions on the court (point guard, center) are overwhelming negatives? We answer those questions and more.

Our full conversation can be listened to below, and make sure to subscribe on iTunes, where you can also leave questions in the form of a five-star review to guarantee your topic makes the show.

The 30

In this episode, Jas is joined by Silver Screen and Roll’s own Alex Regla. They discussed the Lakers big win against the Pelicans, and what it could mean going forward. Alex and Jas then talked about why Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma have improved their games as of late, and what the advanced stats are showing. The guys then wrapped things up by looking at the Lakers’ bench struggles and predicting how the team will finish the final quarter of the season.

Listen to their full conversation below and, for more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.