Lonzo Ball’s Situation With The Chicago Ball Is (Somehow) Reportedly Set To Get Even Worse

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To call Lonzo Ball‘s NBA career a roller coaster ride might just do it a disservice.

Ball entered the NBA with the hype train barrelling full-steam ahead after the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

His rookie season was a mixed bag. Ball scored 10.2 points per game and added 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds on the way to be named NBA All-Rookie team. But he struggled mightily to shoot the ball, an issue that continued to plague him the following season.

Prior to his third year in the league, the Lakers shipped Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal to acquire Anthony Davis. Ball flourished in New Orleans, improving his 3-point percentage by five percent and carving out a niche as one of the league’s best defenders at the point guard position.

He thrived for two seasons in New Orleans before yet another move. Ball signed a four-year, $85 million deal as part of a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls in the summer of 2021.

That deal appeared to work for both Ball and the Bulls as he thrived in his first half season in Chicago. The rising star shot 42 percent from beyond-the-arc as Chicago blossomed into a shock top-four team in the Eastern Conference.

But then the knee injuries came. And they haven’t stopped coming.

Ball missed the entire second half of the 2021-22 season. He’s set to miss the entire 2022-23 season. And now it appears he may miss time in the 2022-23 season.

Lonzo Ball Could Have Third Knee Surgery With Chicago Bulls

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Ball may be forced into a third knee surgery that would keep him out at least a further six months.

“There is a growing possibility that Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will need a third surgical procedure on his right knee that likely would require another six months of recovery and rehabilitation, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

It’s horrible news for a player who had really began to blossom. In six NBA seasons, Ball has never played more than 63 regular season games. And it’s hard to see that changing given the latest update.