Bulls Receive Terrible Update on Lonzo Ball's Injury Status

The last time the Chicago Bulls looked promising as a franchise was when Lonzo Ball was healthy. After being acquired by the Bulls at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, Chicago looked like a dangerous playoff team, even leading the Eastern Conference at the midway point of the season. At the time of Ball's injury, the Bulls were 27-13. That January of 2022 was the last time Ball suited up for Chicago.

It has been over two years and things are still not looking up for the 26-year-old point guard. Ball still hasn't recovered from his knee surgery and the latest update from head coach Billy Donovan paints a bleak picture of the situation.

Bulls Receive Awful Update on Lonzo Ball's Injury Status

As Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports, Ball is still unable to sprint, signaling a setback in his rehab. The Bulls had already said that they didn't expect Ball to play in the 2023-24 season. But the expectation was that he would be further along in his recovery. Donovan had said that Ball was expected to start running this past January.

According to Donovan, Ball is doing "some shooting, some running, some jumping". Yet, he doesn't seem anywhere closer to returning to action.

Ball's next chance to play will be at the beginning of the 2024-25 season. At that point, he will not have played for 2.5 years, which raises questions about how impactful he could be.

Ball will remain as one of the biggest "what ifs" in recent Bulls history. Chicago continues to be stuck in mediocrity ever since Ball went down, with a 27-31 record in the Eastern Conference and a looming Play-In appearance once again.

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