Absent for the entirety of the coming season, after a third operation on his left knee in less than fifteen months, the last of which was a cartilage graft – a cumbersome and unprecedented procedure in the NBA -, Lonzo Ball is keeping his spirits up.
The leader of the Bulls insisted on reminding that he is only 25 years old, so there is still a lot of time ahead of him to return to the court. Only, according to ESPNthe leaders of the Bulls are much more cautious.
The Chicago franchise has no assurance regarding the player’s return to his best level. It must be said that if he plays again next season, therefore from October 2024, LaMelo’s brother will then have been absent from the Great League fields for more than 1000 days!
“It’s a motivation because there are players who have been excluded like this,” explains Lonzo Ball. “I want to come back and do what I love, which is play basketball. It’s just about working. »
“If we lower our heads, we lose the battle”
Except that history does not plead in favor of the Chicago player. This huge hiatus between two matches was only observed twice according to our colleagues, with Emeka Okafor and Greg Oden. And both times, neither player managed to play the length again: returning after a herniated disc, the first had played 26 matches before having to leave the league while Greg Oden had only been able to play 23 matches before leaving the NBA for good.
Nothing to discourage Lonzo Ball, who can rely on the recent example of Klay Thompson, doubly injured and absent for almost thirty months before returning to a good level, and who remains as optimistic as ever for the future.
“The third operation went better than the first two in terms of recovery,” he specifies. “The first two times I was better, then it stopped and I regressed. With injuries and such a long time away from the courts, you just have to be positive. This is the priority because if we lower our heads, we lose the battle. You have to start by being positive and hoping to get better. »
A state of mind underlined by his teammates Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
“It’s nice to see him in a good mood, to see him working to come back, to observe him in the weight room, on the field. It’s nice to see “, book first. “Any positive step allows him to have better prospects”, continues the second. “He was positive as ever in this situation where he has not been on the court for two years. »
| Lonzo Ball | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | LAL | 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 | LAL | 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 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
