Playoff-Bound Bulls Shut Down Lonzo Ball For Remainder Of Season

CHICAGO – An already banged-up Chicago Bulls team that will limp into the NBA playoffs having already struggled against the Eastern Conference’s top tier teams have announced guard Lonzo Ball will not return this season from a knee injury.

Ball, who was brought in to shore up the Bulls backcourt in the off-season never fully recovered after undergoing meniscus surgery in January. Ball had hoped to resume his rehabilitation earlier this week but experienced another setback with the knee injury that forced the Bulls to shut him down.

The team said Ball, 24, continues to experience pain in the knee during high-level physical activity. The Bulls said Ball will continue to undergo daily treatment as he prepares for next season.

The team announced the decision on Wednesday, a day after the Bulls clinched a playoff berth despite remaining winless this season against the defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls, who were among the Eastern Conference’s top teams when healthy, have struggled in recent weeks playing without Ball, Alex Caruso and at times, without Zach LaVine, who has been hampered by chronic knee soreness.

The Bulls are currently the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff pairings and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2017 last night thanks to a win by the Orlando Magic over Cleveland.

Prior to undergoing surgery in January, Ball was averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. The Bulls have used rookie Ayo Dosunmu with more frequency since Ball’s injury. Although the former Illinois star has shown flashes of strong athleticism, he has also been inconsistent for a Bulls team that has a 1-19 record this season against the top four teams in the East.

If the seeding remains the same, the Bulls will face the Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs.

“I’m happy for our guys, happy for our organization,” coach Billy Donovan said Tuesday night. “You want to be playing during that time of the year. I’m excited for the guys because they have worked hard and this has been a really good group of guys considering this is really the first time they have played with one another.

“I’m happy they will get the chance to experience (the playoffs), for the organization, the history and the championships and what the organization has done for a long period of time to be able to get back to the playoffs."