Lonzo out at least 4-6 weeks following knee procedure

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will be sidelined for a minimum of four-to-six weeks after he undergoes an arthroscopic debridement on his left knee on Sept. 28.

Under the provided timeline, Ball would likely miss the start of the 2022-23 season, set to tip off in just under four weeks' time on Oct. 18. If he returns in exactly six weeks, he'll have missed Chicago's first eight games of the campaign but could possibly play against his younger brother LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 2.

The 2017 second overall pick reportedly felt continued pain in his left knee while rehabbing in Los Angeles over the summer.

Ball has dealt with recurring issues in his left knee throughout his five-year career. As a rookie, he sprained his left MCL before undergoing surgery to repair the meniscus in the same joint the following summer. The Bulls shut Ball down last season in mid-January due to a meniscus tear after he played just 35 games - a career low. He underwent arthroscopic surgery following the injury and was initially expected to miss six-to-eight weeks but didn't play again for the rest of the campaign.

The 24-year-old owns career averages of 11.9 points, 6.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals while shooting 36.4% from beyond the arc. Ball has improved from distance in every professional season, culminating with a 42.3% clip on 7.4 attempts from deep per game last campaign.