After Brandon Ingram suffered a shoulder injury, he was eventually shut down for the rest of the 2018-19 NBA season when he was diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis.
As it was a blot clot, there were immediate concerns about Ingram’s long-term health. Fortunately for Ingram and the Los Angeles Lakers, he underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery and is expected to make a full recovery by the 2019-20 season.
As Ingram could reportedly return to the basketball court in eight weeks and resume full activities four to eight weeks after that, his agent Jeff Schwartz provided more details, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“This couldn’t have been a better set of facts for a clot,” Ingram’s agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports Management, told ESPN. … “It’s a night-and-day difference between a hematological issue, or a blood issue however you want to put it, and a structural issue,” Schwartz told ESPN. “This was not related to his blood producing something that would cause blood clots. This was purely structural.”
At just 21 years old, Ingram was having his best season to begin his young career. While the former No. 2 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft got off to a slow start due to a four-game suspension and ankle injury, he took his game to another level following LeBron James’ injury.
More importantly, when James returned, Ingram showed he was capable of playing alongside him. In six games after the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend, Ingram averaged 27.8 points (57.0 percent shooting from the field), 7.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 37.2 minutes.
While Ingram’s shooting percentages may not have been sustainable, he figured out how to play his game on a consistent basis and there are high expectations for his fourth season.