January 14, 2022. That was 775 days ago from today. That date also marks the last time that Lonzo Ball has seen action in an NBA game due to an injury to his left knee suffered against the Golden State Warriors.
It was revealed to be a torn meniscus, and Ball has been unable to see it improve to the point he can play again for the Chicago Bulls.
Per Joe Cowley of the Chicago-Sun Times, the 26-year-old Ball is still unable to sprint.
New Lonzo Ball Injury Update Won’t Please Bulls Fans
Ball Fit In Well Before Injury
As part of a sign-and-trade, Ball was shipped to Chicago from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021. The second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft signed a four-year deal for $80 million.
Ball was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, a team he was on for two seasons before being involved in the deal that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers.
During the offseason, they acquired Ball, and the Bulls also traded for DeMar DeRozan. Those two were added to a group of All-Star caliber players in Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, giving the Bulls a strong core.
After a nine-game winning streak, the Bulls had an impressive 26-10 record in the 2021-22 season. They had a 27-12 record entering the game in which Ball got hurt.
Ball averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game for Chicago before the injury.
Chicago hasn’t had near the success since. They finished that season 46-36, losing in five games to the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs. Last season, they finished 40-42, unable to advance through the Play-In Tournament. They are currently 27-31 this season, ninth in the Eastern Conference. It will be tough to show much improvement because LaVine and Patrick Williams have suffered season-ending injuries.
Seems to Be Behind Schedule
Cowley also reported that Ball was expected to start sprinting in January. Being behind schedule can’t lead Bulls fans to believe they will see him on the court again anytime soon, if ever.
Since the injury, Ball has had three surgeries on that left knee. The most recent was a cartilage transplant last March. He was hopeful that surgery would be the one to help him finally get back on the court.
Ball has a player option for more than $21 million next season, which will obviously be picked up. In 252 regular season games, the point guard has averaged 11.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 1.6 steals.
