The prospects for Lonzo Ball’s comeback aren’t looking good.

Chicago Bulls reporter Dan Bernstein spoke about Lonzo Ball’s physical condition on the Organisations Win Championships Podcast on Monday.

Selected by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2017 draft, guard Lonzo Ball was highly anticipated for his size, range and passing ability. Many compared him to Jason Kidd, who made a name for himself in the NBA as a tall guard.안전놀이터

Despite some injury issues and problems shooting from beyond the arc, Lonzo Ball has slowly found his footing in the NBA and has worked tirelessly to turn his shooting into a strength. In the 2021-2022 season, Lonzo Ball’s three-point shooting percentage rose to a whopping 42.3 per cent.

However, the durability issues that have plagued him since the beginning of his career are finally catching up with him. Lonzo Ball hasn”t played more than 65 games in a season since entering the NBA. In the 2021-2022 season, his first with Chicago, he helped lead the team to the Eastern Conference lead early on, but he played less than half the season due to injury. The lingering effects of a knee injury limited him to 35 games.

Lonzo Ball’s unexplained knee pain continued. Even after two surgeries, he couldn”t recover easily and missed the entire season. “The Cubs, medical staff, and Lonzo Ball still don’t know what’s causing his knee pain,” the team announced in February.

Faced with a quandary, Ball underwent another surgery in March. The surgery was reportedly successful, with cartilage being transplanted into his knee, but there are no guarantees as to when he will return. Cartilage transplants are very rare in sports, including the NBA.

Even within the Chicago organization, there doesn’t appear to be much optimism about Ball’s return. “Chicago is cautiously optimistic that Lonzo Ball will never play again,” Bernstein said strongly.

With Ball out indefinitely, the Bulls struggled throughout the season and ultimately missed the playoffs. With Zach LaVine, Dermar Drojan, and Nikola Vucevic as key resources alongside Ball, Chicago is an obvious win-now team. If Ball continues to miss the court at this rate, their plans will be severely compromised.

A nasty injury bug is holding back another young guard resource. For now, it seems unlikely that Ball will be back in time for the start of next season, and we’re hoping he returns to the court as healthy as possible.