Brandon Ingram was already out for the remainder of the season, but a surgery this week was done to make sure he will be back at full strength next season.
Already shut down to deal with a Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) in his arm, Ingram underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery Saturday, the Lakers announced. He is expected to make a full recovery in three to four months, in time for next season.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes explain the surgery.
Brandon Ingram had his blood clot removed earlier in the week, and today's surgery was done to ensure blood flow, league sources said. The structural issue in his arm was addressed for full recovery and no recurring issues. https://t.co/5TdQpyuC99
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2019
Key here is they located the source of the clot and were able to address it. Will hopefully eliminate future clots from developing. https://t.co/TA0LdbnhPM
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) March 16, 2019
This is big for Ingram because recurring DVT could have ended his career, as happened with Chris Bosh.
Ingram had been one of the few bright spots for the Lakers after the All-Star break, averaging 27.8 points per game through six games and finally being consistently aggressive with the ball in his hands. It was the Ingram the Lakers had hoped to see all season next to LeBron (but hadn’t, he was passive and deferred much of the time).
Both Ingram and Lonzo Ball (sprained ankle) have been shut down for the season by Los Angeles.