2 min read • January 29, 2022
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Bulls guard Lonzo Ball underwent surgery today on his partially torn left meniscus that will keep him out for 4-to-6 weeks, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Our team of ProBasketballDocs do expect that the 4-to-6 week timeline is appropriate, but we lean towards 6 weeks for him to be fully recovered, bringing him back the second week of March with approx. 15 games left in the regular season.
This will be the second procedure on Ball's left knee, the first coming in the summer of 2017, both with the intent to repair a torn meniscus. The repeat nature of the procedure is not ideal, and it means that this is another trim to the meniscus and not a full reconstruction or repair, which would require a much longer absence.
Head coach Billy Donovan reported that the surgery went well with no surprises, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Ball last played on Jan. 12, and the Bulls have gone 3-4 since. They lost the previous 2 games by 68 points, when he was potentially affected by the knee soreness.
Chicago is 2nd in the East at 30-17, but will likely see a slide without Ball, Caruso, and Derrick Jones Jr., who will each be out for the next 6 weeks.
Rookie Ayo Dosunmu has stepped into the starting point guard role and will continue to do so.
The 22-year-old lifelong Illinois resident is averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6 assists on 58% shooting since Ball stepped away, and is one of the best on-ball and off-ball defenders in the NBA, according to analytics purveyor Bball Index.
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