The Chicago Bulls played through most of last season without guard Lonzo Ball after he went down with a knee injury and it appears that could be the case again. Per ESPN's Jamal Collier, Ball is still dealing with pain and discomfort and is officially doubtful for opening night.
Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is not expected to participate in training camp and is doubtful for the start of the regular season with lingering pain and discomfort following knee surgery in January, sources tell me and @ramonashelburne
ESPN story: https://t.co/apmtZHrLjd
— Jamal Collier (@JamalCollier) September 2, 2022
As mentioned, Ball had knee surgery in January. But, it clearly didn't fix the problem. The former UCLA standout won't even be available in training camp, either. Lonzo Ball was a key piece for Chicago in 2021-22, playing in 35 games and posting averages of 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Back in July, Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas acknowledged Ball is recovering, but “not at the speed that we would like”. When the injury happened in January, they expected him to only miss about 6-8 weeks. That being said, it evidently lingered and became a much bigger problem for the organization.
When Lonzo Ball went on the shelf, the Bulls were 27-13. Sans the 24-year-old, Chicago went just 19-23 and struggled immensely against contenders. That led to a first-round exit at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks in the playoffs.
While DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine showed out last season, Ball is undoubtedly important as a scorer and playmaker. The team frankly has no idea when he could eventually return to the fold, which is very concerning. That means it'll be up to the likes of Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu to step up in the backcourt for the time being.
Lonzo Ball will arrive in the Windy City next week to be looked at by training staff. He also had a procedure on this same knee in 2018 while a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
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