2 min read • July 15, 2022
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Lonzo Ball, the Bulls’ 24-year-old point guard, is reportedly progressing slowly in his left knee recovery and his status for the start of the season is in doubt.
The potential for a second knee scope is something the Pro Basketball Docs have been worried about since he experienced soreness while attempting to return for the playoffs.
Here is former Bulls head team physician Dr. John Hefferon talking about Ball’s knee on the May 19 Pro Football Doc podcast.
Hefferon has not seen or examined Lonzo Ball, this is an opinion based on publicly reported medical information.
Typically, bone bruises either heal well within six weeks or they don’t. Ball is clearly in the don’t category, according to our team of Pro Basketball Docs.
His knee troubles stem from a left knee meniscus surgery in January that was initially supposed to keep him out six-to-eight weeks. It was the second meniscus surgery he’s undergone in his five-year career.
He attempted to return in March, but was shut down when he had lingering knee soreness and diagnosed with a bone bruise.
A month later, he said his recovery was “at a standstill.”
At some point, it appears Ball will need to undergo another procedure to repair his meniscus. The question is when and that is likely where Chicago and Ball’s camp disagree.
When a bone bruise occurs, some of the articular cartilage on the knee is typically damaged and may be damaged beyond repair. Ball and his individual doctor likely want to wait and see how much of that cartilage will bounce back, but the longer they delay surgery to clear out the damaged cartilage, the closer the recovery runs to the start of the season.
Ball is not wrong for taking this approach, it may turn out better for his health in the long term, according to our team of Pro Basketball Docs. He does not want to risk arthritis by ramping up quickly just to be back for the start of the season.
Chicago already has one guard who requires load management because of knee issues in Zach Lavine.
At this point, Ball’s SIC score for the season is 63 meaning he is likely to produce roughly 63% of his season-long stats because of the lingering left knee issue, according to our team of Pro Basketball Docs.
The No. 2 overall pick in 2017 was limited to 35 games in his first season with Chicago, a career low for games played in his five-year career.
He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% from 3 in 34.6 minutes per game – the highest minutes he's averaged in his career.
Ball signed a multi-year deal with the Pelicans in August 2021. He's signed through ‘23-24, then has a player option for ’24-25.
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