Three games into his NBA return, Lonzo Ball is injured again.
Fortunately, the injury does not have to his problematic left knee that required three operations and forced him to miss two-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls.
The Bulls announced Tuesday that Ball suffered a sprained right wrist in Monday’s 126-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The injury will be reassessed in 10 days.
Ball returned this season after missing the entirety of the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons with his ailing left knee. He was first sidelined in January 2022 with what was initially diagnosed as a bone bruise in his knee. The injury was later diagnosed as a meniscus tear that required surgery. Ball was initially given a 6-8 week timetable to return, but sat out the remainder of the 2021-22 season after he continued to experience discomfort in his knee.
Before the start of the 2022-23 season, Ball underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery to deal with complications from his initial knee injury and procedure. The Bulls announced at the time that he would be reevaluated in 4-6 weeks. He missed the entire season and had a third procedure before it was over.
In March of 2023, Ball underwent a cartilage transplant and a rare meniscus transplant that requires a new meniscus from a donor. That procedure forced Ball to sit the entire 2023-24 season and raised concerns that the former No. 2 would not play basketball again at all.
But he was allowed to play for the start of this season. In Chicago’s first three games, Ball averaged 4.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game while shooting 35.7% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range. He did so in a reserve role in 15.7 minutes per game.
He and the Bulls certainly expect him to return considerably sooner this time around from his wrist injury.
