In some ways, Lonzo Ball has been one of the NBA’s biggest disappointments in recent years.
When he was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, there was massive hype surrounding him, most of it coming from his father, and plenty of fans and pundits fell for it.
But he has failed to meet that hype, and then there is the matter of the many injuries he has suffered, including the meniscus tear he sustained in January 2022.
He hasn’t played since then, but he was seen on the basketball court throwing down an alley-oop dunk he threw to himself, per Courtside Buzz.
Lonzo Ball throws down a dunk in practice! 🐰
Lonzo recently said he’s at 70% health! pic.twitter.com/lvzFuNHW29
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) May 17, 2024
In seven seasons, Ball has played in just 252 games, and he managed to appear in over 55 games in a season just once.
When the New Orleans Pelicans traded him to the Chicago Bulls in the 2021 offseason, he, along with new arrivals DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso, helped make the Bulls into a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference right away.
But once the UCLA product suffered his meniscus injury, the Bulls fell in the standings and ended up losing in the first round of the playoffs.
They have been stuck in the middle since, and many have felt this is the right time for them to blow it up and start over.
DeRozan will be a free agent this summer, and should Chicago lose him, they will lose a player who has averaged 25.5 points a game in three seasons for them.
Ball has exercised his player option for next year, which means he will be a free agent next summer, but if he’s unable to get back onto the court and remain healthy, there’s a chance he may not be offered another contract.
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DeMar DeRozan Reveals Which NBA Team He Wants To Play For
