Lonzo Ball Will Undergo Surgery With Ongoing Knee Issues
Chicago Bulls point guard, Lonzo Ball, missed most of his first season with the team in 2021-22 after suffering a knee injury. However, it seems like Ball has had another step back in his plans to return to the court. Ball has been rehabbing his knee injury since it took place back in January. However, the point guard will be heading for surgery after still experiencing a high amount of pain in his knee.
Ball suffered a bone bruise and a torn meniscus in his left knee during a game against the Golden State Warriors on Jan. 14. However, it seems like the injury is still impacting the point guard. Recently, Ball came out and discussed how much the injury is affecting his daily life outside of basketball.
“I can’t run or jump,” Ball told reporters Tuesday. “Even going up stairs and stuff, it’s still painful. This is something I’ve never dealt with. Even the doctors are surprised a little bit.”
General Manager Arturas Karnisovas discussed the injury during the Bulls media day session this week. Karnisovas remarked how the Bulls wanted to give Ball every opportunity to rehab without surgery. However, with Ball still having problems and not close to returning to the court, they reached a “crossroads” and Ball will undergo an arthroscopic debridement on his left knee Wednesday.
Ball, the former No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, averaged 13 points per game during his first season with the team last year. Ball also racked up 5.1 assists per game and grabbed 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42 percent from three. With Ball appearing in 35 games last season, the Bulls were one of the best teams in the league. But due to Ball’s sustained injury struggles, the question of durability comes into play. Ball has averaged just 50 games per season during his five seasons in the NBA. With the 24-year-old expected to miss a big chunk of the 2022-23 campaign, it’ll be interesting to see how he holds up over time.
With Ball undergoing surgery, the Bulls will have to turn to someone else as the NBA season begins on Oct. 19. Chicago’s batch of guards in Coby White, Alex Caruso, Goran Dragic and Ayo Dosunmu will all likely split primary ballhandling duties with Ball sidelined. Chicago will lean on the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, who they brought back this offseason, to start the season hot while Ball works his way back from his expected 4-6 week recovery time.
