An insider with the Chicago Bulls has provided an update on when Lonzo Ball will be able to return from his devastating injury.
What exactly is Lonzo Ball’s injury?
The Chicago Bulls was expected to be a playoff team again this season, but they don’t appear to be quite there yet.
When it appears that the Chicago Bulls are heading for a lost season, the team comes back and gut-punches a pair of East rivals with legitimate title hopes. They lost to OKC on Friday but wins over the Celtics and Bucks (the conference’s top two teams) earlier in the week speak volumes about the team’s potential.
Lonzo Ball, their new point guard, was a driving force behind their success last season. Lonzo Ball has developed into an elite three-point shooter and defender, and his abilities have been critical to the Chicago Bulls.
He did, however, sustain a knee injury in January of this year, which was expected to keep him out for some time. Every update since has made it seem more serious.
Head coach Billy Donovan stated earlier in the season that Lonzo may miss the entire season.
Lonzo himself provided an update during the offseason, stating that he couldn’t even run or jump at that point in his rehabilitation. But, for the first time in a long time, there may be some good news for Chicago Bulls fans.
Insider Bulls Lonzo Ball could return after the All-Star break, according to Sam Smith
When asked if he could reveal anything Lonzo-related that would have fans “looking forward to Christmas,” Smith effectively dashed any lingering hopes of a quicker-than-expected return to the hardwood.
Smith wrote: “I worry about the Derrick Rose syndrome. For those who recall, the season after Derrick was injured in the 2012 playoffs, the media and fans became obsessed with Rose’s return to the point he was blamed for not returning, and before long the media and the community turned on him with the belief he didn’t want to play. Which was as erroneous as could be…”
Last season, Chicago was 5.1 points per 100 possessions better with Ball on the floor, and his defensive rating of 107.0 was the second highest among rotation regulars on the team. And while Dragic’s net swing of 11.6 is greater than Ball’s, he only plays 18.1 MPG, the majority of which is against other backups.
Lonzo is being advised not to rush back and given the severity of his injury, he probably won’t. However, if the Bulls can stay afloat until he returns and gets back up to speed, they could emerge as a dark horse heading into the postseason.
