Reports: Lonzo Ball continues to deal with knee issues, says he is still recovering and doctors are puzzled by his delayed rehabilitation
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball looked to be a perfect fit with his new team during the 2021-22 season. After spending previous years as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, Ball signed with the Bulls in free agency.
The season got off to a strong start for Lonzo and the Bulls as the team looked like one of the rising contenders in the Eastern Conference. However, the Chicago Bulls would run into numerous injuries. One of the most devastating injuries was to Lonzo, who would miss the rest of the season with a knee problem.
In a total of 35 games, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from 3-point range. The hope was that Lonzo would be able to rehab and return for the start of the 2022-23 season. Unfortunately for him, that might not be the case.
It was recently announced by the team that Ball would undergo an "arthroscopic debridement" of his left knee. The Bulls organization also announced he would be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks.
Speaking recently to the Bulls media, Ball commented on the knee issue. Ball stressed that it's become problematic and that "even the doctors are surprised."
“This is something I've never dealt with. Even the doctors are surprised a little bit,” he said.
Lonzo Ball says he still has trouble walking upstairs at home and hasn’t played basketball since January
“This is something I've never dealt with. Even the doctors are surprised a little bit”
(h/t @wontgottlieb & @byjuliapoe ) https://t.co/UUqVNQV4Y4
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball remains sidelined with knee injury
Lonzo Ball continued to talk in depth about the injury, saying that he can't even "run or jump yet." While the Bulls continue to proceed with caution, it appears as if there's no imminent timetable for Lonzo to return to the court.
Chicago has one of the most intriguing rosters in the Eastern Conference with players such as DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. Alongside the pair of talented stars is rising talents Alex Caruso, Patrick Williams and Ayo Dosunmu.
Speaking from Los Angeles the day before his second surgical procedure in 8 months on his troublesome left knee, Lonzo Ball said he can’t run or jump yet.
After becoming one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference in the first half of the 2021-22 regular season, Chicago was decimated by injuries. The team went on to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference standings before being eliminated in the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Chicago have the talent to make some noise in the Eastern Conference, but they will need their starting point guard to return at some point.