Woj: 'No Guarantees' Bulls' Lonzo Ball Returns From Knee Injury This Season

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball may not play during the 2022-23 campaign.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday on NBA Countdown that there are "no guarantees" Ball plays at all this season as he's still experiencing pain while rehabbing his knee injury.

"I think the hope is that, perhaps by the All-Star break in mid-February, they have a sense of whether Lonzo Ball is ready to come back and play for Chicago," Wojnarowski said. "A lot of that may depend on where are the Bulls in the standings."

Ball only played 35 games last season after being diagnosed with a small meniscus tear in his left knee in January. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and was initially expected to miss just six-to-eight weeks.

However, bad news emerged in March that the 24-year-old's knee had not responded well to rehab:

He was ruled out for the season on April 6, one day after Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said Ball was still experiencing discomfort in his knee:

More bad news dropped on Sept. 21 when the Bulls announced that the UCLA product would undergo another procedure that would keep him out for an extended period of time:

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic provided more encouraging news:

However, with the recent update from Wojnarowski, it appears that we may not see Ball until the 2023-24 campaign.

The Bulls have turned to Goran Dragić, Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso and Coby White at the point so far this season, but Ball's absence has been felt as Chicago is currently 11th in the Eastern Conference with an 11-15 record.

Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević are doing everything they can to carry the team's offense in Ball's absence.