Lonzo Ball’s promising NBA career hit a massive speedbump in January 2022 when he tore his meniscus. Slow progress and pain issues for Ball caused the injury to keep him out for the last two seasons, including being ruled out for 2023-24. Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has shared a positive update on Lonzo, claiming the point guard is pain-free and could resume running next month.
“Everything they’ve done in terms of progressing him he’s handled very well,” Donovan said. “The pain that he was experiencing that was causing the setback I think has been eliminated in terms of what he’s doing now — but he hasn’t run. The next progression for him will be to start running and that will be here in January.”
January 2022 was a simpler time for the Chicago Bulls. The team looked like one of the best squads in the East, competing atop the table with the likes of the Nets, Celtics, Bucks, and 76ers. Unfortunately, injuries broke that team with Ball’s absence being the biggest limiting factor. He was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in his debut season with the Bulls, looking like an All-Defense lock.
Hopefully, he can return next season and be the same caliber of player he was. We’ve seen successful returns from devastating injuries, as shown by Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Jamal Murray in recent seasons. It seems he’s on the right track and could be on the court for the opening night of the 2024-25 season.
Lonzo Ball’s Injury Recovery Has Gone Poorly Until Now
Ball’s meniscus tear came with a six-to-eight-week window when it happened. After missing the window and his health not improving, the Bulls shut him down for the 2021-22 season, ending their season as a first-round exit. He had to go through an arthroscopic debridement in September 2022 due to nagging pain, which led people to be optimistic about a return last season.
Despite videos of Lonzo dunking getting fans excited, the pain in his knee continued and he couldn’t return to high-level basketball activities. This led to the Bulls ruling him out for last season as well, failing to make the playoffs after losing to the Miami Heat in the eight-seed Play-In matchup.
Lonzo had a third knee procedure last season, undergoing a knee cartilage transplant to save his NBA career. No NBA player has ever been able to return after a knee cartilage transplant, so Ball returning to an NBA court will be a massive achievement. Overcoming three knee procedures in under two years with one being an experimental surgery that no NBA player has returned to is an incredible feat.
We hope Lonzo continues progressing in the right direction and is healthy enough to return to the team. He hasn’t been pain-free since he tore his meniscus so that news alone will have Bulls fans celebrating the progress Ball has made.
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