Lonzo Ball came to the Chicago Bulls with a lot of hype surrounding him.
The hope was that he would be able to turn his career around after two fairly unimpressive stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, respectively.
Unfortunately, Ball has been hobbled from the jump.
Last year he played in just 35 outings for the Bulls. This year he has yet to suit up at all.
During a recent appearance on ESPN, Adrian Wojnawroski provided something of a concerning injury update for the oft-hurt Ball.
Woj: “There are no guarantees, I’m told, that [Lonzo Ball] plays at all this season. He’s rehabbing that knee now, he still has some pain in it.”#BullsNation pic.twitter.com/2pIuweg89i
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) December 15, 2022
“There are no guarantees, I’m told, that [Ball] plays at all this season,” Wojnarowski reported.
“He’s rehabbing that knee now, he still has some pain in it.”
The hope has been that Ball would return at some point around the All-Star break, but that optimism is quickly fading.
Last season, when he was on the court, Ball averaged 13.0 points per game, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He also shot 42.3 percent from beyond the arc – a career best.
The problem has just been his inability to get healthy.
Ball once laughed that the source of his injury woes were his old Big Baller Brand (BBB) shoes. Well, it’s a lot less funny now that being hurt has become a constant issue for him throughout his career.
These days, he makes far more headlines for his outlandish gifts to his girlfriend than any substantive basketball accomplishments.
Larsa was asked how Scottie felt about her dating someone who was 10 years old when she was 27.https://t.co/qV6TApwy3D
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 15, 2022
And based on Wojnarowski’s most recent report, it doesn’t look like that is going to change any time soon.
Will Ball ever get fully healthy and live up to the lofty expectations his dad set for him coming out of college?
Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
