With training camps starting soon, there is one thing every team wants heading into the season………health. Irving missed the last 15 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs due to knee problems. Isaiah Thomas re-aggaravated a hip injury from the previous postseason after having already missed a bulk of the season and Lonzo had to sit out the last few games for the Lakers and ended up having a procedure on his knee in July.
Kyrie seems to be ready to go. The Celtics never expected him to miss training camp but there were some concerns surrounding his playing time to begin the season. The organization has recently stated that there will be no minutes restriction for Irving after monitoring his progress and knee strength over the last few months leading into the ’18-’19 campaign. Thomas and Ball are a different story. Thomas is not expected to participate in training camp and Lonzo will not be cleared for 5 on 5 full contact as the Lakers are not taking any chances with his recovery. They want to ease him back into the full swing of things as not cause any setbacks.
Thomas is coming off of a frustrating year as he was blindsided by a trade to the Cavaliers in the offseason. He wasn’t able to suit up until January and after a lackluster month with the Cavs, he was dealt to the Lakers at the deadline. He wasn’t re-signed to LA and the Nuggets picked him up. He looks to find his from from two years ago when he led the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals and finished top 5 in MVP voting.
Lonzo Ball is looking to build on a stellar rookie season and the Lakers are taking every necessary precaution to make sure he is ready by tip off. With the addition of LeBron James, the expectations for the Lakers went from rebuilding to championship contender. This young core, led by Lonzo, has to be ready to step up to the challenge. The team will be monitoring Lonzo’s knee very closely and holding him back until it’s clear that he’s back to 100%.
Flip the pages to see these three guys in their element. We hope to see much more of this in the upcoming season.