With Lonzo Ball’s rehabilitation going well, the Chicago Bulls are starting to become hopeful they will have their starting point guard back when the calender switches to 2023.
NBA observers, fans, and maybe even the Bulls may not have realized how important Lonzo Ball was to the team until he was gone. The 2021 free agent signing’s stats from last season don’t necessarily jump off the page, but there were clearly differences in the team’s play once he was sidelined with a knee injury.
In the regular season, the team was not quite as dominant as they were with him, and they underperformed in the postseason. Heading into 2022-2023 there was hope the team would be back to full strength and get off to a fast start. However, offseason surgery to Ball’s left knee did not deliver positive results, and the 25-year-old was forced to go under the knife again a couple of months ago.
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Unsurprisingly, the team has gotten off to a very disappointing 9-11 start to begin this season. Suffice it to say, the Chicago Bulls need their point guard back if they hope to be a playoff team again this season, and the reunion is looking likely in 2023.
Lonzo Ball on course for early 2023 return to Chicago Bulls lineup
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s NBA insider Sham Charania revealed that things are actually going well the second time around in Ball’s knee surgery rehabilitation, and the team is feeling hopeful that he will be back on the court for them at some point early in the new year.
“Ball underwent a second surgery on his ailing left knee in late September, and is believed to be making progress in his rehabilitation. Ball and the franchise have been hopeful of his return to action at some point after the calendar flips to 2023, sources said.”
– Update on Lonzo Ball return
- Lonzo Ball stats (2021-2022): 13.0 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.8 SPG, 36% 3PT
Backup point guard Coby White has also missed quite a few games and that has furthered the problems the team has had at point guard, as free-agent addition Goran Dragic has not made much of an impact on the team so far this season.