Lonzo Ball was a pivotal part of the Chicago Bulls last season and really came into his own as a premium point guard who was running plays, making more shots than usual, and working well with the rest of his squad.
But the Bulls experienced some bad luck towards the end of the season, as an injury sidelined Ball for the last few months.
The hope was that knee surgery would get Ball ready to return to the team at the very start of the 2022-23 season.
But that doesn’t seem to be likely.
"I can't run or jump. … Until I can do those things, I can't play."
Lonzo Ball gave an update on his knee ahead of his surgery.
(via @chicagobulls) pic.twitter.com/RRrorUAcp5
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 28, 2022
Ball spoke about his physical status right now and things don’t sound good at all.
According to his remarks, Ball still has a long way to go with his recovery:
“Literally, I really can’t run. I can’t run or jump. There’s a range from, like, 30 to 60 degrees when my knee is bent that I have, like, no force and I can’t, like, catch myself. Until I can do those things, I can’t play. I did rehab, it was getting better, but it was not to a point where I could get out there and run full speed or jump. So surgery is the next step.”
This is not the news that Chicago fans wanted.
They can survive without Ball but they will desperately miss him.
The Bulls Without Ball
Ball obviously wants to get back with his team and they obviously want him as well.
Until he is ready and able to play again, Chicago will have to tweak the roster and get by without his play-making abilities.
Thankfully, the Bulls have other stars on the squad but the team is injury-prone so there is fear that other players will fall before Ball returns.
Chicago was hoping to have a regular season even better than the last but things are not getting off to a great start.
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