2 min read • January 20, 2022
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Lonzo Ball was the subject of a worrisome development for the beaten-up Bulls, as the guard was diagnosed with a bone contusion in his bruised-and-battered left knee.
The treatment Ball has been receiving since being ruled out last Friday with knee soreness was not producing improvement, so the team will be trying a different therapy, and he will be held out of the next 3 games at least.
Unfortunately for Ball and Chicago, this saga will take much more than 3 games, and – as is the case even in the best possible circumstances – will likely not be available for weeks.
A bone contusion represents a less clear recovery process, as it requires little-to-no physical activity involving the affected area, which is possibly the source of the failure of the initial treatment.
As there was no single source of trauma in the knee, this injury is likely from stress in the 24-year-old's joint that suffered multiple injuries in his rookie season.
Throughout the second half of the 2017-18 season, Ball faced 3 separate left knee issues: a sprained MCL, a bone bruise, and a torn lateral meniscus. He eventually opted to have surgery in the 2018 offseason to remove a portion of the knee cartilage after other treatments, including a platelet-rich injection, did not take.
Those injuries kept him out for 24 games that season.
A recent example of a knee contusion was Joel Embiid, who missed 10 games last March after suffering a bone bruise related to a hyperextended knee. Like with Ball, Embiid had also previously suffered tendinitis and a torn meniscus in that knee.
The Bulls, 28-15, will likely have to forge ahead with a key wing perimeter defender, 3-point threat, and connective tissue on their roster. The East's No. 1 seed will, however, catch a scheduling break: After facing the Bucks on Friday, Chicago will play 8 straight games against opponents at or below .500.
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