The outlook for Lonzo Ball’s return is not looking good.
Chicago Bulls reporter Dan Bernstein discussed Lonzo Ball’s physical condition on the Organizations Win Championships Podcast on Monday.
After being selected by the Lakers with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft, guard Lonzo Ball was highly anticipated for his size, range, and passing ability. Many compared him to Jason Kidd, who made a name for himself in the NBA as a tall guard.
Despite some injury issues and problems shooting from beyond the arc, Lonzo Ball has slowly found his footing in the NBA and has worked tirelessly to turn his shooting into a strength. In the 2021-2022 season, Lonzo Ball shot a whopping 42.3% from three-point range.
However, the durability issues that have plagued him since the beginning of his career are finally catching up with him. Lonzo Ball hasn’t played more than 65 games in a season since entering the NBA. In the 2021-2022 season, his first with Chicago, he helped lead the team to the Eastern Conference lead early on, but injuries kept him out for less than half the season. The lingering effects of a knee injury limited him to 35 games 스포츠토토.
Lonzo Ball’s unexplained knee pain continued. Even after two surgeries, he couldn’t recover easily, and his entire season was lost. In February, in the middle of the season, the news broke that “the Cubs, their medical staff, and Lonzo Ball still don’t know what’s causing his knee pain”.
Ball was stumped and eventually underwent another surgery in March. The surgery was reportedly successful, with cartilage being transplanted into his knee, but there are no guarantees as to when he will return. Cartilage transplants are very rare in sports, including the NBA.
Even within the Chicago organization, there doesn’t appear to be much optimism about Ball’s return. “The Cubs are cautiously optimistic that Lonzo Ball will never play again,” Bernstein said strongly.
With Ball out indefinitely, Chicago struggled all season and ultimately missed the playoffs. With Zach LaVine, Dermar Drojan, and Nikola Vucevic as key resources alongside Ball, Chicago is an obvious win-now team. If Ball continues to miss time on the court, their gameplan will be severely compromised.
A nasty injury bug is holding back another young guard resource. For now, it seems unlikely that Ball will be back in time for the start of next season, and we’re hoping to see him back on the court as healthy as possible.