Back to square one for Lonzo-Ball, who will undergo a third operation on his left knee in 14 months. The cartilage graft could force him to withdraw for the entirety of next season, even if for the moment, as Billy Donovan explained, it is the most total vagueness which reigns.
“I could say that I have no hope that he will ever play here again or vice versa, say that he will definitely come back. It’s just that I don’t know”, slipped Billy Donovan.
After the intervention, which is scheduled for the beginning of next week, a long period of rehabilitation will indeed begin. Without visibility and when he played his last match in January 2022. However, Billy Donovan remains positive, drawing inspiration from the foolproof mentality of his leader.
Patience and hard work
“Even though he is present, and he is with the team from time to time, he has been away from everyone for a long time. The fact of having to resign himself to not playing is very, very difficult, I think, for him to digest. But he behaves incredibly well. He’s so consistent in his mindset and what he’s tried to do every step of the way to come back.”he added.
Beyond the bad news that has surrounded Lonzo Ball for months, it is also on these points that the leader of Chicago will have to press to heal as quickly as possible: determination, a positive state of mind and a lot of work. On this level, Billy Donovan can also be reassured, Lonzo Ball never stopped working.
“The fact that the game has been taken away from him and he can’t play is terrible for him because he loves the game, he loves to play. You see everything he’s done since it happened to try to get back on the pitch, and you always want a guy to be rewarded for the work he’s done to come back.”added Billy Donovan.
Hoping the damage isn’t too great though, as a cartilage transplant looks like a last-ditch operation to save Lonzo Ball’s career.
| Lonzo-Ball | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2017-18 | ALL | 52 | 34 | 36.0 | 30.5 | 45.1 | 1.3 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 10.2 |
| 2018-19 | ALL | 47 | 30 | 40.6 | 32.9 | 41.7 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 9.9 |
| 2019-20 | NOP | 63 | 32 | 40.3 | 37.5 | 56.6 | 1.1 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 0.6 | 11.8 |
| 2020-21 | NOP | 55 | 32 | 41.4 | 37.8 | 78.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 14.6 |
| 2021-22 | CHI | 35 | 35 | 42.3 | 42.3 | 75.0 | 1.0 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 13.0 |
| Total | 252 | 33 | 40.0 | 36.4 | 57.8 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 11.9 | |
