Bulls Insider: 'Foregone Conclusion' Lonzo Ball Will Miss Entire Season Due to Injury
Even though the Chicago Bulls won't provide an official update on Lonzo Ball's status until after the All-Star break, the expectation is he won't play this season.
On the latest episode of the Bulls Talk Pod, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago called it a "foregone conclusion" that Ball's knee injury will keep him out for the entire 2022-23 season.
Bulls vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas told reporters on Feb. 9 Ball has been "making small improvements" but said they would have "more information for you probably post-All-Star weekend."
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Ball hasn't appeared in a game since Jan. 14, 2022, when he suffered a torn meniscus in his knee against the Golden State Warriors. He was originally expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery.
The Bulls announced on April 6 that Ball was being shut down for the rest of the season because he was still experiencing pain in the knee with "high-level physical activity."
Ball told reporters in September he was still unable to run or jump without pain and would undergo a second arthroscopic procedure.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported on Sept. 29 that Ball was considered likely to miss at least a few months but there was "confidence" he would be able to play this season.
The Bulls have certainly felt Ball's absence on the court over the past 13 months. They went 19-23 over their final 42 regular-season games without him last season, making the playoffs as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference before losing in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
At the All-Star break this season, the Bulls are 11th in the East with a 26-33 record. Their offense ranks 20th in points per game and 24th in rating.
Ball signed a four-year, $80 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade deal to join the Bulls in August 2021. The 25-year-old averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game in 35 starts last season before his knee injury.
