Sixers Rival Report: Bulls Shut Down Injured Lonzo Ball

When the Chicago Bulls prepared to face the Philadelphia 76ers on January 8 in South Philly, Chicago head coach Billy Donovan addressed the state of his team’s star guard, Lonzo Ball.

Considering Lonzo Ball hadn’t suited up to play in about a year at that point, Donovan felt it was necessary to note that Ball still had ways to go before he would get back on the court.

“There’s no timetable on that right now,” Donovan explained. “It’s hard, you know? I think we’re right up against a year right now that he’s been out. I think that even once he gets cleared to ramp up at some point, whenever that is, I think the medical guys will take a real hard look at the fact that here’s a guy that’s been off for a year against that kind of contact and competition that there’d be a pretty significant period of time that he’s going to need to get himself back where, you know, he’s used to playing again.”

Since Donovan discussed the status of Ball in early January, the point guard hasn’t progressed in the right direction. Fast forward nearly two months later, and the Bulls have decided to shut down Ball for the remainder of the 2022-2023 NBA season.

On Tuesday, Bulls’ Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Arturas Karnisovas, released a statement regarding Ball.

“Despite making significant increases in strength and function over the past several months, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball continues to experience performance limiting discomfort during participation in high level basketball-related activities. Considering the required time period to achieve the necessary level of fitness to return-to-play and the current stage of the NBA season, Ball will not return this season. The focus for Ball will continue to be on the resolution of his discomfort and a full return for the 2023-24 season.”

When Ball joined the Bulls ahead of the 2021-2022 NBA season, he was expected to be a prominent player alongside the stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine. Ball’s playmaking was critical for Chicago in his first 35 games with the organization.

Unfortunately, a knee injury sidelined him from January 14, 2022, and beyond. Ball missed the remainder of the 2021-2022 season. At this point, he won’t play at all in 2022-2023. It’s unclear what the future holds for the former first-round pick, but the Bulls are surely taking a hit in his absence as they struggle to gain steam in the Eastern Conference.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.