One of the bigger splashes that the Chicago Bulls made during the 2021 NBA offseason was signing point guard Lonzo Ball. He was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Tomas Satoransky, Garrett Temple, and a second-round pick. That deal cost the Bulls another second-round pick as part of the league’s investigation into tampering allegations.
Despite the loss of a second-round pick, it is likely a deal that the Bulls would do again. With Ball in the lineup, he helped them get off to an excellent start. When he appeared in his last game of the season on January 14th, Chicago had a record of 27-13. After that, the team struggled, going 19-23.
Ball appeared in a career-low 35 games because of knee issues. He underwent arthroscopic surgery in January, and the team announced that he would be sidelined six-to-eight weeks. The knee did not respond well to ramp up the activity, which led to him being announced out for the season in April.
Unfortunately for Ball and the Bulls, things are still not progressing as well as they would have hoped the last few months. He is expected to not only miss training camp but the beginning of the regular season as well because of the lingering pain in his knee.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Lonzo Ball & Chicago Bulls Updates
His knee is reportedly structurally sound after the arthroscopic surgery on his knee that he underwent in January, but there is something that is still causing an issue. Ball spent the entire offseason rehabbing in Los Angeles, and the team will evaluate him further once he arrives next week in Chicago.
“He’s getting better, probably not at the speed that we would like,” Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas said in July during a broadcast for one of the team’s summer league games. “But he’s getting better.”
Doing better is certainly an improvement, but it sounds like Ball still has plenty of work to do. Hopefully, the Bulls can pinpoint exactly what is causing the lingering pain and get him back on the court as soon as possible.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Lonzo Ball & Chicago Bulls Updates
Ball has struggled with injuries throughout his career as 63 games are the most that he has appeared in during a single season. In five seasons in the NBA, he has missed at least nine games in each campaign. That unfortunately sounds like a streak that will reach six during the 2022-23 season.
