Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball made his return to an NBA floor for the first time in years earlier this season. However, it was fairly short-lived and Ball suffered another injury.
He has been dealing with a sprained right wrist and was expected to be reevaluated this week. But it seems that the injury may be more serious than anyone may have initially believed.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan provided an update on Ball, saying that his news was a little mixed.
"I think we really dodged a bullet because that could have been a fracture very similar to Patrick [Williams'] situation," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said Wednesday. So the mentality right now is certainly be aggressive with the treatment, but we're going to make sure he's good."
For context, Williams missed most of the 2021-22 season after the team first believed that his wrist injury was just a sprain. It looked to get worse over time but Donovan seems to believe that Ball won't go down that same path.
"The swelling has gone down," Donovan said. "He's still in the brace and the splint. It's just going to be one of those things where it all depends on how long it takes to heal. I think they're going to be aggressive with his treatment and therapy but cautious to do anything that will set him back.
''I think he had mentioned that if he gets going too soon and it's much too early, that could be a problem."
Ball has missed a significant amount of time due to a lingering knee issue so the Bulls will be careful with him. He has appeared in three games this season for Chicago, averaging 15.7 minutes per game.
The former No. 2 overall draft pick has averaged 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. He has also shot 35.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the 3-point line in his limited time.
During his missed time, Ball had a chance to really hone in on his conditioning. He wanted to make sure that when he did eventually return, he adjusted his game to his new reality.
"I just play the game a lot smarter," Ball noted of how he's adjusted his game. "That's really what I have to focus on — just keeping my IQ to be ahead of things."
The Bulls are hoping that the point guard won't be out for too long due to this issue. It seems he may have gotten some decent news regarding the severity but it also looks like Ball could end up missing some extra time as well.
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