Lonzo Ball had meniscus surgery on Jan. 28, with the Bulls announcing the usual 6-8 week time frame and thinking he would be back for the playoffs. Except Ball never made it back on the court, his recovery was constantly set back by pain, leading to serious concerns in Chicago about his knee heading into the offseason.
Now he will undergo another knee surgery, this time a scope, to clean his left knee up. The Bulls made the announcement Wednesday.
Injury Update:
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 21, 2022
Lonzo Ball will undergo an arthroscopic debridement of his left knee on Wednesday, Sept. 28 in LA.
He will be re-evaluated in 4-6 weeks.
Ball will miss the start of the season with this surgery. The Bulls will be cautious with his return, which makes sometime around Halloween seem like a likely target — if his recovery follows the predicted timeline this time. With his knee not being right nearly nine months after going under the knife the first time, a second surgery seemed almost inevitable as reports of his slow recovery continued to leak out.
This is troubling news for the Bulls, who don’t have another single player who can duplicate what Ball brings to the court. They have depth: Alex Caruso can bring the defense, Coby White can push the ball in transition, Goran Dragic can give them low-mistake minutes, but Ball brings all those things to the table in one package. He is critical for their defense and pace, and now they will have to start the season without him.
In a very deep East, the Bulls need to find a way to avoid a slow start without Ball on the court, or they will spend all season trying to climb out of that hole.
