Bulls' Billy Donovan: 'Think You Have to' Consider Chance Lonzo Ball Will Miss Season

The 2022-23 NBA season hasn't even started yet, and the Chicago Bulls could be in serious trouble.

Billy Donovan was asked if he had to prepare for Lonzo Ball missing the entire campaign and he said "I think you have to."

Ball is going to have surgery on his knee and told reporters that he can't play basketball. I am unable to run or jump.

Even though he plans to take his time with the rehabilitation, missing the entire season is not in his mind right now. It would be the worst case.

Ball tried to rehabilitate his knee and sought out multiple opinions during the off-season in the hopes of avoiding a third surgery of his career, according to a report by an analyst. He will have an operation on his knee on Wednesday because he still feels pain when he walks up stairs.

They're going in to see what it is. It's clear that there's something that's not right because it's not showing up on the magnetic resonance. Whatever needs to be done will be done.

Last season was Ball's first with the Bulls and he only played 35 games due to knee surgery.

The team decided to shut him down in April because he continued to experience pain with high-level physical activity.

Without his presence on the floor, Chicago lost to Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs, dropping them to the sixth seed.

Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebound, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 42.3 percent from deep before the injury.

There is some depth in the backcourt with Coby White, Alex Caruso, Goran Dragi, Ayo Dosunmu and Dalen Terry. The offensive efforts from the wing can be led by the two guys.

Their ceiling is raised when Ball is on the floor.