While the season hasn't gone exactly the way that the Los Angeles Lakers planned, the team did get some good news on one of their key building blocks.
The team announced that forward Brandon Ingram underwent successful thoracic outlet decompression surgery on his right arm and is expected to make a full recovery before next season.
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.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 16, 2019
Ingram is expected to make a full recovery prior to the start of next season. pic.twitter.com/q3LgtJpVTB
In addition, Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that Ingram had his blood clot removed earlier in the week prior to this surgery, which was necessary "to ensure blood flow."
Earlier this month, the team announced that Brandon Ingram was expected to miss the rest of the season after tests revealed a Deep Venous Thrombosis -- a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body -- in his right arm.
Ingram had missed two consecutive games with a sore right shoulder for the struggling Lakers, back in action on Sunday against the Knicks, (noon ET -- watch on fuboTV with the NBA League Pass extension), prior to the team announcing the injury. In 52 games this season, the former second overall draft pick put together averages of 18.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 33.0 percent from beyond the arc.
With Ingram dealing with a blood clot, it was certainly viewed as a difficult situation for the Lakers young forward. If Ingram would've been forced to deal with a second DVT, he would've been forced to be on a blood-thinning medication long term and wouldn't be able to play with that. Former Miami Heat big man Chris Bosh dealt with the same issue and that's why he was forced to retire.
If Brandon Ingram gets 2nd DVT, he'd need to be on a blood-thinning med long-term to prevent a possibly lethal clot. You can't play while on that med because you're at risk of a bleeding episode. Hopefully this is a one-time thing. Otherwise, he may be in same boat as Chris Bosh.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) March 9, 2019
Ingram last played on March 2 against the Phoenix Suns when he scored 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting and secured seven rebounds in a 118-109 Lakers loss.
The Lakers are seeing their playoff chances fade by the day. LeBron James is going to be on a minutes restriction going forward while Lonzo Ball has also been ruled out for the remainder of the season.
