NEWSLETTER
The Lonzo Ball situation remains one of the most depressing NBA storylines. Injured only 35 games into his Chicago Bulls career, the point guard has been sidelined with a knee injury since January of 2022. He has now undergone three surgeries to address the issues in his knee, which has officially put his professional career in jeopardy.
For what it’s worth, however, Ball certainly doesn’t sound like he’s throwing in the towel just yet. In a rare interview appearance, Ball joined Trae Young on the “From the Point” podcast to discuss his basketball journey. The brutally honest conversation included an update from Ball on trying to overcome the lingering injury:
“I’m just taking it day-by-day, bro. I just had a really big surgery. Hopefully, my last one I ever have to get. But it’s a long process,” Ball said. “I’m already out the whole next season. So, when I first got hurt, we didn’t really know what it was. I was seeing a whole bunch of different doctors and stuff. And I was kind of just going up and down. And that was really hard for me because I didn’t know what the next day was going to be like.
At least now, I got the surgery, we got a plan moving forward. I’m no track, so hopefully everything works out. I’ll leave it up to God man and just do the best I can and live with the results.”
I know Ball isn’t really sharing anything new here, but this is the first time we’ve heard him address the confusing nature of his knee injury. He also confirmed that there is no plan for him to return to the floor this upcoming season, which Arturas Karnisovas didn’t hesitate to mention earlier this offseason, as well.
While I guess it’s good to hear that there is a more defined plan and that Ball is currently “on track,” I’m not really sure what that means for his long-term outlook. There is still such a long road to go before we can even begin to think about Ball stepping back onto the NBA court. Instead, I’m just hoping that he can get to a point where these injury troubles no longer affect him on a personal level. The mindset he’s taking into this stage of recovery at least feels like a positive one.
Still, it sure feels like Ball has joined Bulls fans in wondering where the organization might be right now if he never went down. When talking about joining the Bulls, he gave props to the front office for giving him the ideal teammates:
“It’s going to be a big “What if.” I mean, for me, I just feel bad for the GMs just because they made the perfect team around me,” Ball said. “I felt like I was involved. That was the most I’ve ever been involved in an organization and I finally got the perfect team that I felt like could fit my game and played my way and really just do what I wanted to do.”
Brb, gonna cry my eyes out.
Do I think the Bulls would have remained at the top of the Eastern Conference in 2021-22 if Ball never got hurt? Probably not. I also don’t think they’d be some sort of juggernaut in the conference right now. But there is no question they’d be in a much better position moving forward, especially when we remember that Ball is just 25 years old. He was a fundamental part of the organization’s future. Removing him from the equation creates a significant obstacle to overcome.
But, again, what I care about most is simply seeing Ball in a better place on a personal level. He seems headed in that direction at least, which is great to see. I recommend giving the full interview a watch here. As I said, it was a rare appearance and one of the better looks into his personality as a whole.
