Getty Image / Jonathan Daniel
Lonzo Ball has been one of the NBA’s strangest injury stories over the past year.
Last January, he was believed to have suffered a bruised knee, but he ended up requiring surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
That was still only expected to keep him out for a couple of months.
It has been more than a year since he stepped on the court and that absence is now expected to continue.
According to Bulls insider KC Johnson, the Bulls are expected to shut Lonzo down after the All-Star break.
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This is a tough situation for both Lonzo Ball and the Chicago Bulls.
Ball’s injury wasn’t even supposed to be the end of his 2021-22 season. Now it’s looking like it will bring his 2022-23 season to an end before it even began.
Ball not even being able to run or cut more than a year after suffering the injury is troubling, especially since there hasn’t been any indication about why he is still having these issues.
The Bulls signed Lonzo to a 4-year $80 million contract before the start of last season with the expectation that he would be an integral part of their roster. They have felt his absence since the injury.
After a strong start to last season that saw the Bulls competing for one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference, they went 19-23 and dropped to 6th in the East. They were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round, losing 4-1 to the Bucks.
This season, they are 26-33 and find themselves 2 games outside of the playoff picture.
At this point, all the Bulls and there fans can hope for is that doctors will be able to figure out what is causing Lonzo Ball’s knee to continue to be an issue and that he’ll be able to return next year back at 100%.