Getty Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball
Los Angeles Lakers fans received some good news on Monday relating to guard Lonzo Ball. While the second-year point guard isn’t back running with LeBron James and company just yet, he did get in some 5-on-5 work following his offseason knee surgery.
As The Athletic’s Laker Film Room revealed, Ball was playing full court in a few recent videos.
Footage of Lonzo scrimmaging
Lonzo finishing on the break
Just last week Ball was cleared, as he told Mike Trudell of the Lakers’ official website.
Lonzo Ball: “I just got cleared. I’m finally 100%.” Just needs to progress up to 5-on-5, but considers the knee (scoped over the summer) good to go.
Lonzo Ball’s Quick Return Draws Strong Reviews
From teammates to coaches, there’s been plenty of love sent to Ball for his speedy recovery. Most recently, it was LeBron James who raved about the return of the 20-year-old, as ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk revealed.
“I didn’t know he was gonna be full go so fast,” James said after the Los Angeles Lakers’ practice Saturday. “He’s been going through live drills the last 2½ days. His bounce is there. His speed is there.”
“So I don’t even know if he even had surgery,” James added, jokingly.
SB Nation’s Anthony Irwin also detailed comments from Lakers coach Luke Walton, who stated he was “shocked” at how good Ball has looked.
“He looked great. I was shocked how good he looked the last two days as far as his feel for the game and being out there competing. He hasn’t played any basketball since last season, so it was pretty impressive with that much time off against guys who’ve been working all summer in camp already,” Walton told reporters after practice Friday afternoon. “I was very impressed and pleased to see that.”
The Lakers’ next preseason game is on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets, and it seems unlikely Ball suits up for that one. Regardless, he’s getting closer and with the season still over two weeks away, there’s a good chance he could return early on.
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WATCH: Lakers G Lonzo Ball Runs 5-on-5 Following Knee Injury