Chicago Bulls’ point guard Lonzo Ball has yet to play a game this season. And from the sound of it, he may not be on the court any time soon.
Ball suffered a torn left meniscus in January that was initially thought he would make a full recovery from. However, a bone bruise in April kept him out through both the regular season and playoffs. He has yet to play in a game in the 2022-23 season.
Before Wednesday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, head coach Billy Donovan provided an update on Ball’s rehab. And for Bulls fans, it is not the most encouraging update.
Billy Donovan on Lonzo Ball: It’s been really slow. He’s working through more and more but we’re not close to running or cutting or contact. Said the pain issue is still improving but not in clear.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 1, 2022
“It’s been really slow,” Donovan said. “It’s gotten better, but is he clearly without any pain? No, he’s not. He still has pain. We’re seeing the slow, gradual strides getting better, but I just don’t have any timetable of when he could even be back.”
Donovan adds that Ball has not suffered another setback, but instead has not been able to progress on schedule.
The injury has become somewhat of a mystery for Lonzo Ball and the Chicago Bulls. The Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe reported that Ball has not been able to run, cut, or jump after his second knee surgery in September. MRI scans could not reveal the origin of Ball’s recurring pain at first. Ball himself has mentioned that he had trouble walking upstairs and bending his knee.
The Chicago Bulls Without Lonzo Ball
The Bulls signed Ball to a four-year, $85 million contract in 2021 in a sign & trade with New Orleans. The plan was to add Ball to the core of Demar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic.
In 35 games, Lonzo Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. His 57.5% true shooting percentage was a career-high, as was his 42.3% three-point percentage on over seven attempts a game. Defensively, he and backcourt mate Alex Caruso made for one of the better defensive duos in the league. Ball’s defensive rating was 107 while Caruso’s was 105.5. Together, their defensive rating was an even better 102.2, combined with a 111.5 offensive rating for a +9.3 net rating.
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