Several tepidly upbeat developments regarding Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball: Shams Charania reports that the club is optimistic he’ll be ready to play at some point this year. Ball underwent his second knee operation of the year on Wednesday, and he will likely be out for at least a few months.
Ball had his second knee surgery of 2022 on Wednesday
Several tepidly upbeat developments regarding Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball: Shams Charania reports that the club is optimistic he’ll be ready to play at some point this year. Ball underwent his second knee operation of the year on Wednesday, and he will likely be out for at least a few months.
The Bulls stated that he will be reevaluated in four to six weeks when they revealed last week that he would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. According to The Athletic, he and the team will keep an eye on how he recovers from the procedure over the course of the next two weeks, and his comeback date will depend on how well his rehabilitation goes.
Ball said on Tuesday that he was in too much discomfort to run or leap. He underwent meniscus surgery in late January and missed Chicago’s last 42 regular-season games. The Bulls lost 19 of 23 games during that stretch, dropping from first to sixth in the Eastern Conference. He made an effort to increase his activities and sit down again, but the discomfort in his knee continued.
Ball boosted Chicago’s transition game by making a career-high 42.3 percent of his 3-point tries last year. On defense, however, his absence was more noticeable. According to Cleaning The Glass, the 2021–22 Bulls limited opponents to 108.2 points for every 100 possessions while Ball was on the field as opposed to 116.8 for every 100 minutes when he wasn’t.
Another way to put it: Without Ball on the court, they defended like the No. 28-ranked Pacers and like the No. 2-ranked Warriors.
Alex Caruso should start in Ball’s stead if defense is the first focus, like Chicago did late in the previous season. Another choice is Ayo Dosunmu, who just had an outstanding rookie campaign. Goran Dragic, a 36-year-old free agent acquisition, and fourth-year shooter Coby White are also options.
The Bulls should be able to produce enough production from those players to carry them for the majority of the season even without Ball. When he returns, whenever that may be, they will need him to lift the ante, accept challenging defensive assignments, and force turnovers if they hope to build on what they accomplished in the first few months of his career.
