After coming out of the gates after the all-star break averaging a career-best 27.8 points per game, Brandon Ingram was diagnosed with Deep Venous Thrombosis. After announcing the injury, Los Angeles Lakers fans nervously awaited injury updates from the team on the status of Ingram and what this would mean for his promising young career.
A scary condition eerily reminiscent of the blood-clot problems that ended Chris Bosh’s playing career, Lakers fans were less worried about losing Ingram’s production as they were that he would simply be okay and return back to his normal life.
Thankfully, the Lakers announced today that Ingram had successfully undergone surgery to repair the condition and should be able to make a full recovery in time for next season.
Lakers Announce Brandon Ingram Injury Update
UPDATE: Brandon Ingram underwent successful thoracic outlet decompression surgery on his right arm today. The procedure was performed by Dr. Hugh Gelabert at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Ingram is expected to make a full recovery prior to the start of next season.
Although the Lakers have sorely missed the scoring punch that Ingram had been providing, the biggest news is that Ingram is set to make a full recovery and should return to the court next season without any further issues. One of the most naturally gifted scorers in the NBA, Ingram had struggled to find consistency in his young career before starting to put things together for the Lakers this season.
Brandon Ingram Injury Impact on the Lakers
Since Ingram went down for the season, the Lakers have gone just 1-5, despite “playoff LeBron” being activated. While the Lakers had been struggling in James’ absence before this, they were at least able to pick up a few wins during the month where both players were healthy.
Ingram had emerged after the All-Star break as a reliable second scoring option and was routinely putting up massive numbers on extremely efficient shooting. Along with his 27.8 points per game after the break, Ingram was shooting the ball at a 57% clip from the field to go alongside 53% from deep. While it is unlikely to expect Ingram to be able to consistently produce that level of efficiency over the course of a season, it gives a peek into his talent level and shows that he is capable of maintaining an incredibly high level of play.
🎥 Brandon Ingram dropped 27 points and 13 boards, shooting 50% from the field in tonight’s #LakersWin
Without a secondary scorer like Ingram in the lineup, the Lakers have simply lacked the firepower to hang with most teams. Although their defense is the biggest issue, without Ingram they don’t boast a strong enough offense to help compensate for their shortcomings on that end of the court. Kyle Kuzma has steadily been a strong scoring option for the Lakers on the year, but he ideally would slot in as a third-option stretch four as opposed to the attack-minded Ingram.
While the Lakers will likely attempt to go free agent hunting in the offseason to fill the void of secondary scoring option alongside LeBron James, there is no reason to believe that Ingram wouldn’t be able to adequately fill that role.
Comments
Lakers Injury Update: Brandon Ingram Undergoes Successful Surgery