LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, two highly touted NBA prospects, each suffered injuries over the last week that will sideline them for at least a month.
One of the main storylines that has developed over the course of the first 20 games of the 2019-20 NBA season is the uptick of injuries. According to Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes, injury occurrence has risen 10 percent from this time last year, though at least a portion of the drastic increase is likely attributed to the freakish amount of bone-related injuries that have occurred thus far.
However, the injury bug hasn’t been limited solely to the NBA; injuries have also occurred amongst athletes in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL).
Over the last week LaMelo Ball of the Illawarra Hawks and RJ Hampton of the New Zealand Breakers — the third and 14th ranked prospects, respectively, according to The Step Back’s 2020 NBA Draft big board — have both suffered injuries that will keep them out of competition for at least four weeks, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
The good news is that both injuries are relatively minor and are unlikely to have a significant impact on their careers moving forward.
Ball suffered a bruised foot during a practice in early December, according to Givony. After consulting with a foot specialist, terminating game action for the near future was determined to be the best course of action.
A diagnosis of “bruised foot” is too vague to expound upon and it would be irresponsible to draw any firm conclusions, but based on Givony’s reporting, it doesn’t appear as though the injury is overly serious. Keeping the youngest of the Ball family on the sidelines for approximately one month was likely a decision based solely on weighing the future risks versus rewards; Ball’s draft stock has risen dramatically over the last couple of months, so it doesn’t make much sense for the young phenom to risk further injury by returning prior to being 100 percent recovered.
Hampton’s injury, on the other hand, is a little more concrete.
Givony reported that Hampton suffered a hip flexor injury during a game last week. The hip flexor is a group of two muscles — the iliacus and psoas major, collectively known as the iliopsoas — that attach to the front of the lumbar spine as well as the top portion of the femur, or thigh bone. The leg raises when these muscles contract, an action known as flexion of the hip. The hip flexors are important muscles for forceful movement of the leg, such as during sprinting and are often injured by basketball players.
The four-week timeline seems to suggest that Hampton’s injury lies somewhere between a grade one (mild) and grade two (moderate) muscle strain. Much like strains of the hamstring, hip flexor strains can sometimes be tricky to rehabilitate fully and the injury tends to recur and linger. Much like with Ball, it would be wise for Hampton and his team’s athletic training staff to make sure that his injury is 100 percent recovered prior to returning to action as the risks of returning too quickly drastically outweigh the benefits.
In the long-term, both players will likely be projected, and ultimately be selected, as future top-10 draft picks. Neither injury will likely keep them out for extended periods nor are they serious enough to harm their draft stock. These injuries are just minor bumps in the road.