Report: Lonzo Ball plans to receive platelet-rich plasma injection to help with pain in knee

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball plans to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection to help deal with the pain in his surgically repaired left knee, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes.

“Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball plans to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his problematic left knee to help minimize the pain he’s still experiencing from a pair of operations he had in 2022, league sources tell Bleacher Report,” Haynes wrote.

Ball, who has been ruled out for the 2022-23 season, has not played in a game since Jan. 14 of last year. The former No. 2 overall pick missed 47 of the Bulls’ 82 games in the 2021-22 season.

The lingering knee injury has been a major concern for Ball, as he has yet to get back on the floor despite multiple operations. The Bulls, who signed Ball to a four-year, $80 million deal prior to the 2021-22 regular season, are hoping that he can eventually become a contributor for them next season.

Ball has a player option on the deal for the 2024-25 campaign, although it is likely that he would exercise that option if he were still injured.

The Bulls have used Alex Caruso, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Goran Dragic as lead guards this season, and they recently added Patrick Beverley in the buyout market. Ball’s injury has certainly hurt the Bulls’ chances of contending in the Eastern Conference after a promising start to last season.

Since being drafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Ball has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Pelicans and Bulls. He was a part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 2019.

For his career, Ball averages 11.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.

The former University of California, Los Angeles star was having arguably the best shooting season of his career during the 2021-22 campaign for Chicago before going down with the knee injury, shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range.

A solid defender and pass-first point guard, Ball fits in very well alongside DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine in the Bulls’ lineup when he is healthy.

The Bulls and Ball are hoping that the platelet-rich plasma injection will give him a chance to get past this injury and return to the floor in the 2023-24 season.