Bulls' Lonzo Ball Ruled Out for Rest of Season Because of Knee Injury

The Chicago Bulls announced Wednesday that point guard Lonzo Ball will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 NBA season because of a left knee injury.

Chicago noted Ball continued to "experience pain with high-level physical activity" while trying to recover from January surgery on the knee.

"He will continue daily treatment and rehabilitation in preparation for the 2022-23 season," the team's statement said.

Ball last played Jan. 14 and had surgery Jan. 28. The Bulls announced the initial timetable for his return was six to eight weeks.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that the 24-year-old UCLA product suffered a setback in his recovery, and Chicago head coach Billy Donovan confirmed the guard hadn't made the type of progress the team hoped to see.

"It's disappointing from the standpoint you were hoping that the time he had off would help maybe propel him going forward to do a little bit more," Donovan said. "But that certainly hasn't been the case."

His absence for the rest of the campaign is a major blow to the Bulls, who emerged as a title contender earlier in the season while the roster was at full strength.

Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.1 threes and 1.8 steals across 35 appearances in his first season with Chicago. He also tied for 21st among NBA players in FiveThirtyEight's defensive Raptor rating.

The Bulls have shared ball-handling responsibilities in his absence. Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White have taken turns leading the offense, and that's likely to continue for the duration of the team's playoff run.

Getting Caruso, who was sidelined from mid-January to mid-March, back from injury also helps in terms of defending an opponent's top perimeter scorer.

While Chicago is a more well-rounded team with Ball available, it still has the potential to make some noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Bulls occupy the No. 6 seed with a 45-34 record, but there's plenty of time for movement over the final few games of the regular season.

Chicago hosts the Boston Celtics, a potential first-round opponent, on Wednesday night.