Chicago Bulls hope to get some clarity as Lonzo Ball undergoes another surgery

The Chicago Bulls hope to get some added clarity revolving around Lonzo Ball as he gets another surgery on his knee.

At this point, you have to feel for Lonzo Ball and the Chicago Bulls. After a great start to last season, the Bulls stumbled toward the latter portion of the year and into the playoffs. And a big reason why was the injuries that they had to play through. Specifically, one that took Ball out of the lineup.

And one that has sidelined him to this day. While there was hope at one point during the offseason, as you would expect, that he would be ready by the start of training camp, that quickly began to dissolve over the last few weeks.

He was already expected to miss the start of training camp and now more. According to a recent report, Ball is slated to be sidelined for at least the next 4-6 weeks. After undergoing another procedure on his knee, he’ll be reevaluated in about a month.

Lonzo Ball’s absence will make it tough for the Chicago Bulls

With Ball in the lineup last season, the Bulls were 22-13. With him out of the lineup, the Bulls were just 24-23. Clearly, Chicago goes from being a really good team to just an average team with and without Ball.

And while there are other reasons why you see a discrepancy in Chicago’s record, you can’t really argue against Ball not being a big one. In the 35 games he played in, he averaged 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game on 42 percent shooting from 3-point range.

He was a great on-ball playmaker and the team’s best 3-point shooter (when you consider volume). Taking that away from a team that is thriving, you can’t help but expect a drop-off. And that’s what the Bulls experience when Ball was removed from the lineup.

From the moment he didn’t return as expected toward the end of the last season, this entire situation took a turn for the weird. While there’s hope the Bulls and Ball will get some much-needed clarity after this most recent procedure, that’s no guarantee.

Hopefully, Ball can recover and he only misses a portion of the start of the season for the Bulls. But based on how the last few months have gone for Ball, it’s not guaranteed.