Lonzo Ball during his high school days was regarded as one of the best talents in the game. His reputation preceded him in the NBA when he was picked up as the overall 2nd draft pick by the Lakers in 2017.
Despite the early promises when he was billed as the “new face” of the Lakers, Lonzo so far has failed to live up to that. His injuries have also not helped his cause, as the Bulls man now finds himself missing from the game for a considerable amount of time. But there is some exciting news on the way for Lonzo and the Bulls fans.
Growing buzz suggests Lonzo Ball will play next season
The Chicago Bulls can finally breathe a sigh of relief as there is a “growing buzz” suggesting their point guard Lonzo Ball’s return after missing two seasons.
K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports stated, “There’s growing buzz from some who talk to Ball that he’ll play next season.” The 26-year-old point guard suffered back-to-back injuries after playing 35 games with the Bulls since his trade in the 2021–2022 season.
The 6-time championship-winning team was granted a $10.2 million Disabled Player Exception (DPE) by the NBA for Ball which allowed them some extra money to add a player to the squad in the guard’s absence to build the team.
When Ball was asked on media day last year in October about his return, he gave a positive response to the reporters “Like I said I’m only 25, and I feel like the rehab process has been going well so far, no setbacks. So for me it’s just keep my head up and just keep doing the work.”
From not being expected to appear on the hardwood again to hoping that Ball could return next season, this is certainly a good sign for the 9th-seeded team in the Eastern Conference table.
Latest update on Lonzo Ball knee injury
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has recently opened up about the current status of Lonzo Ball, which is nothing but positive for both the player and the franchise.
While talking about Ball’s progress, the HC said, “Some of the workouts have been really really positive in terms of running, cutting, jumping, doing those things. He’s progressed into that. Responded well. Some of the things — not with my own eyes — the medical guys have shown me is he looks good moving.”
The point guard had three major surgeries, which made him miss two whole seasons. In Jan. 2022, he went under surgery to fix his torn left meniscus. However, he kept feeling the pain so Ball had to go through an arthroscopic debridement surgery in September. After missing the season, all hopes were lost when he underwent cartilage transplant surgery in March 2023, shutting him out for another season.
Despite the hopes being high, it is doubtful that Ball will be in his previous shape, where he was averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals in the Bulls jersey while shooting at 42.3% both from the floor and the 3-point range. But this is basketball and miracles do happen.
