What Lies Ahead For Lonzo Ball After Another Shut Down?

The Chicago Bulls is playing it safe with coveted guard Lonzo Ball’s career and have announced that they have shut him down for the rest of the season.

Arturas Karnisovas, the Bulls’ executive vice president for basketball operations, confirmed that Ball “continues to experience performance limiting discomfort during participation in high-level basketball-related activities” and will have him focusing on a full return for next season.

Doctor of physical therapy Evan Jeffries opined that Ball may also be exploring stem cell therapy to treat his lingering issues with sports medicine physician Jesse Morse stating that there are “kitchen sink” options available, with him willing to offer a consultation with the player.

On January 20, 2022, the reveal was made that Ball had to undergo surgery due to a meniscus tear on his left knee and was initially projected to miss six to eight weeks.

That timeline would have projected him returning between the weeks of February 6 and March 13 but never did make an appearance then, which gave him the least number of games he has played in his career (35).

Then in September, news started trickling out of Ball returning to the court sometime in January 2023 and head coach Billy Donovan told the media that they were closely monitoring his progress, with them putting out a deadline for him at the recently concluded All-Star Game.

Which leads them to their current predicament with their starting point guard.

The Bulls were on top of the Eastern Conference when Ball went down with the aforementioned injury and is now hovering around the play-in tournament as the 11th seed with a record of 26-33.

Ball’s career has long been hampered by injuries and has not played more than 60 games in a single season aside from the 2019-20 season with the New Orleans Pelicans.

In his sophomore season with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19, he was also shut down for the rest of the season in March due to an ankle issue.

Nothing can be more debilitating for a player than to undergo the unforgiving cycle of getting injured, rehabbing, playing then getting injured again as it takes a toll not just on their bodies, but also psychologically.

In an October 2022 interview done by the International Business Times with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sean Leo, he explained how important it is for an athlete to ensure that their mental state remains intact.

For Ball, the days of relying on his sheer athletic prowess had already been quickly winding down as he has completely adapted to his Bulls teammates and allowing guys like Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and DeMar DeRozan to carry a massive chunk of the scoring load.

Despite this, Ball’s upwards trajectory is being weighed down by his injuries and the signs do not look good for the future of his career.

The 2017 second-overall pick is still just 25 years old and for him to be dealing with a laundry list of issues to his lower extremities as he enters his prime years is surely a frustrating thing to deal with.

Whether this leads to the end of Ball’s once-promising career is an entirely different discussion, but it cannot be denied that this latest setback might just lead to him having to consider if he can continue betting on himself and on his body.