After missing two and a half years of playing time due to three knee surgeries to fix a persistent meniscus tear, Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball finally made his return to the NBA in the Bulls’ season opener on October 23. However, his return was bittersweet, as the Bulls lost 123-111 to Ball’s former team, the New Orleans Pelicans.
Unfortunately, Ball’s comeback didn’t last long. After just three games, he got hurt again.
This time, it’s a sprained right wrist that was expected to keep him out for only 10 days. However, Ball has surpassed that expected timeline and is still out indefinitely.
According to K.C. Johnson from The Chicago Sports Network, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has said that Ball no longer has a clear timeline for when he will be able to play again. To be fair, Ball has only played in a limited bench role, with his minutes restricted.
Given how long he’s been away from the game, it’s impressive that he’s even back at all. In the three games he played, Ball averaged 4.7 points on 35.7% shooting from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. He also averaged 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game in 15.7 minutes of action.
Ball, who is from Chino Hills, California, was a star at UCLA during his one season in college before being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers as the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
He was chosen by Lakers president Magic Johnson, even though other future All-Stars like Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, and Bam Adebayo were available.
In his two years with the Lakers, Ball averaged 10.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. However, injuries were a constant issue during his time in LA, and he only played an average of 49.5 games per season.
Ball reached his peak as a 3-and-D player with the New Orleans Pelicans. In 2019, he was part of the trade package that the Lakers sent to New Orleans in exchange for superstar big man Anthony Davis.
In his two seasons with the Pelicans, Ball improved his game, averaging 13.1 points, 6.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, while shooting 40.9% from the field and 37.6% from three. He established himself as a solid starting point guard in the NBA.
The Lakers also benefited from the Davis trade, as he helped lead them to an NBA championship in their first season together. Although the Lakers have struggled to return to the top since then, they did make it to the 2023 Western Conference Finals.
Ball’s future looked promising when he signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Chicago Bulls in 2021 as part of a sign-and-trade deal. However, he has only played 38 games with the Bulls as he enters his fourth season. Fans are hoping he will be able to return to the court soon.
