Getty Bulls guard Lonzo Ball
Chicago Bulls starting point guard Lonzo Ball is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the season due to his left knee injury, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Ball hasn’t played since January 14 against the Golden State Warriors, a game the Bulls lost by 42 points. He underwent surgery on January 28 to address a meniscus tear and bone bruise and the Bulls said Ball would be out six-to-eight weeks after the procedure was completed.
However, Ball’s rehab hasn’t gone well. The combo guard continues to feel discomfort amid several recovery methods and it looks like he won’t play in the 2022 playoffs, which begin on April 16.
Sources: Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the season. Ball has been rehabbing from meniscus surgery in late January, but continues to feel discomfort amid several recovery methods to return to action and a bone bruise in his knee.
The Bulls acquired Ball last summer via a sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 2017 No. 2 overall draft pick signed a four-year, $80 million deal with Chicago as a restricted free agent and was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from the field, 42.3% from beyond the arc and 75.0% from the free-throw line this season before getting hurt.
Bulls Aren’t the Same Without Ball
The Bulls are 22-13 when Ball plays. Opponents see their offensive rating drop by 7.0 points when Ball is on the court compared to when he’s on the bench.
Chicago’s defense has taken a major step back since Ball got injured. The former Los Angeles Lakers point guard is a stout defender, averaging 1.8 steals this season.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” Bulls head coach Billy Donovan told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago on April 5 before Chicago faced the Milwaukee Bucks. “We were hoping that the time he had off could help him propel moving forward to do a little more. That certainly hasn’t been the case.”
Donovan has been asked multiple times by reporters if the Bulls would be comfortable with Ball returning for the playoffs without playing in the regular season first and the former Oklahoma City Thunder head coach has had the same answer each time.
Donovan on if Ball Could Return for Playoffs: ‘We Haven’t Even Got to That Point’
The Bulls are on track to make the playoffs this season for the first time since 2017, the final year of the Jimmy Butler era. They could make some serious noise if Ball was in the lineup next to All-Stars DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, but Donovan has not thought about that.
“We haven’t even got to that point,” Donovan told Johnson. “Those without question will be conversations going here forward of how realistic that is for him to get back. Certainly on the table would be, ‘OK, do we say he’s not going to play anymore this year?’ I think those all will be things that will be discussed with the doctors and the organization.”
If the regular season ended today, the Bulls would face Joel Embiid, James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the playoffs. Having Ball to pester Harden — one of the greatest scorers of all time — would be great for Chicago. However, it doesn’t appear that will happen.
Since entering the NBA in 2017, Ball has compiled averages of 11.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists with the Lakers, Pelicans and Bulls.