The Chicago Bulls held media day on Monday, but notably absent was Lonzo Ball, as the star guard is in Los Angeles where he will have his second knee surgery of the year later this week.
Ball played in just 35 games last season before suffering a torn meniscus and having surgery in January. That procedure was supposed to keep him out for a month-plus, but Ball never returned to the court for the Bulls as he suffered setbacks and continued knee soreness and pain throughout the spring and summer. On Tuesday, Ball spoke with the media via Zoom from L.A. and offered some somber updates on his status, noting that his knee soreness isn’t just a basketball issue, but is something that impacts him day-to-day on things like walking up a flight of stairs and he can’t run or jump currently.
Lonzo Ball on his knee injury before tomorrow's surgery: "I can't run or jump … Even going upstairs is still painful. This is definitely something I've never dealt with. Even the doctors are a little surprised."
(via @chicagobulls) pic.twitter.com/CGgNNybXTp
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) September 27, 2022
The 24-year-old guard is remaining hopeful that he’ll make his return this season at some point, calling it a “worst case scenario” for him to miss all season and that he’s not thinking about that as a real possibility.
Lonzo Ball doesn't anticipate that his knee injury will keep him out all season. He expects to return this season but isn't sure when.
He calls missing the season a "worst-case scenario."
— Cody Westerlund (@CodyWesterlund) September 27, 2022
From a basketball perspective, Ball’s presence is incredibly important for the Bulls because of the pace he plays with and his passing acumen, which opens up the floor for everyone else. On defense, he’s a terrific off-ball defender who, when combined with Alex Caruso, presents a bold backcourt defensive pairing.
However, this is first and foremost a situation of a young man who needs to get back to being comfortable physically in his everyday life before even discussing what he can do on the basketball court, and hopefully this next surgery can clear him up to do that and get back on the floor.
