Ball underwent cartilage transplant surgery on his left knee Monday, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Shams Charania of The Athletic confirmed last week that Ball was set to undergo the third surgery on his problematic left knee in 14 months, with the latest one differing in nature from the prior two, which were arthroscopic procedures. Ball's cartilage transplant procedure is described as a relatively new innovation in sports medicine that's described as an alternative to a full knee replacement in order to better maintain the integrity of the knee joint. Given the limited history of athletes who have had the procedure, Ball is without a clear timeline for a return, but the Bulls are already preparing for the 25-year-old to miss most of the 2023-24 season. Both the Bulls and Ball are hoping that a full recovery from Monday's surgery will allow him to resume his career at some point, though it's unclear if he'll ever resemble the player he was before the knee issue first cropped up last January.
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Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Could miss 2023-2024 season
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Ball will undergo a third procedure on his left knee -- a cartilage transplant -- and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2023-24 season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Ball only played 35 games in 2021-22 and has already been ruled out for the 2022-23 season due to a troublesome left knee. The Bulls hope the surgery will revive the 25-year-old point guard's career. When he's been on the floor, Ball is a productive fantasy player, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 34.6 minutes across those 35 appearances for Chicago. This season, head coach Billy Donovan turned to a combination of Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso and Goran Dragic early to help fill the void, but lately, it's been a lot of Patrick Beverley following his acquisition from the buyout market. Bulls management may attempt to upgrade the position in the offseason, but their hands are a bit tied financially due to the contracts of Ball, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Nikola Vucevic is on an expiring contract, but an extension feels likely.
Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Likely to need third knee procedure
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Ball faces a "growing possibility" of requiring a third surgical procedure on his left knee, which would likely include an additional six months of rehab and recovery time, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Ball hasn't played in a game since Jan. 14, 2022 and was recently ruled out for the rest of the 2022-23 season after failing to make any significant progress in his recovery from the two procedures on his knee, which he underwent last January and last September. The 25-year-old point guard also had another arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in the knee during the summer of 2018. Before deciding whether Ball will need another procedure, the player and his representatives will consult with knee specialists. Still, at this stage, sources tell Wojnarowski that the belief is that a third surgery in 14 months will give the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft his best chance to play again. Ball, who is set to enter the third year of the four-year, $80 million deal he inked with the Bulls in August 2021, will almost assuredly be out for at least the early part of the 2023-24 season if he opts for another surgery.
Bulls executive vice president of operations Arturas Karnisovas confirmed in an announcement Tuesday that Ball (knee) won't be available to play during the 2022-23 season.
Though Karnisovas' statement noted that Ball has made "significant increases in strength and function over the past several months," the point guard "continues to experience performance limiting discomfort during participation in high level basketball-related activities." Even if Ball's discomfort subsides within the next month or two, he won't have sufficient time to regain enough fitness to return to game action. The Bulls are thus having Ball focus on a return to the court for the start of the 2023-24 season. However, given the pessimism so far surrounding his recovery from the torn meniscus in his left knee that he suffered in January 2022 and that has since required two surgical procedures, it's far from a given that the 25-year-old will be back to full strength by the fall. Next season, Ball will be entering the third and final year of the contract he inked with the Bulls as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in August 2021, but the contract also contains a $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season.
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Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Expected to be shut down
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Ball (knee) is expected to be shut down for the remainder of the 2022-23 season, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Unfortunately, the writing has been on the wall for several months, as all indications are that Ball continues to battle pain and discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee. The guard underwent two procedures on the knee in 2022, the first of which ended his 2021-22 campaign after just 35 appearances. Entering this season, there was some hope that Ball would be able to rehab and return at some point, but now it looks as though the team will close the book on that possibility coming out of the All-Star break. Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, is only 25 years old, but given the developments of the last calendar year, it's now fair to question whether he'll ever be able to recapture his status as one of the league's most promising two-way guards. Prior to being shut down in 2021-22, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks while shooting a career-best 42.3 percent from three (3.1 3PM/G) for the season.
Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas said Saturday that Ball (knee) will have his status updated following the All-Star break, Brian Dulik of The Associated Press reports.
Chicago's upcoming update on Ball could provide final word once and for all regarding whether or not he has a realistic chance of playing during the 2022-23 season. The sixth-year point guard hasn't played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022 while struggling to make progress in his recovery from a pair of arthroscopic procedures on his left knee. Though prior updates on Ball from head coach Billy Donovan haven't been especially encouraging, the 25-year-old has been able to dunk the basketball in addition to doing some light running in recent weeks, so he hasn't been completely shut down from activity.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said before Saturday's game against the Magic that Ball (knee) is "nowhere close" to returning and the team will have a formal conversation about a cut-off date if his condition doesn't improve over the All-Star break, Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune reports.
It's looking increasingly unlikely that Ball will appear in a game this season. Despite making tangible progress this month through light running and dunking, Ball is still experiencing significant discomfort in his surgically-repaired left knee. Fantasy managers still holding onto Ball in redraft leagues are probably safe to drop him, especially if those leagues end in mid-to-late March rather than April.
Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Hope for playing in 2022-23 waning
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Ball said Monday that he's still experiencing some discomfort in his surgically repaired left knee and acknowledged the possibility that he might not be able to play during the 2022-23 season, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
While joining the Bulls in Paris ahead of their upcoming game in Paris on Thursday, Ball told reporters that he's remained mentally strong in his year-long absence from the left knee injury that he's addressed through a pair of arthroscopic procedures, the second of which he had in late September. Though Ball is doing light running again and taking part in some on-court work, he likely won't be cleared to ramp up to full-speed, full-contact practice until the discomfort in his knee completely subsides. At this stage, Ball appears safe to rule out through the All-Star break, and his comments Monday suggest that the 25-year-old isn't entirely confident he'll be ready to play before the Bulls wrap up their regular-season slate April 9. Given his lack of a return timeline -- if he suits up at all in 2022-23 -- Ball is tough to justify holding in most redraft leagues with limited injured-list spots.
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Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Progresses to dunking
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Ball (knee) shared videos on Instagram of him dunking and running on the treadmill, but coach Billy Donovan continues to state that the guard's progress is "really, really slow," K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Of course, Ball dunking is a great sign that he's progressing, but Johnson notes that he's yet to be cleared to cut or do full-speed daily on-court running -- maybe his biggest hurdles. Saturday (Jan. 14) marks the one-year mark since Ball last appeared in an NBA game. It's doubtful he will play before the All-Star break, and his status for the entire 2022-23 season remains in doubt.
