Lonzo Ball has been officially ruled out for the remainder of the season. Ball will be halfway through his four-year deal this summer with just 35 games under his belt in a Bulls uniform. To make matters worse, there’s still no timeline on when Lonzo Ball is expected to start running pain-free, forget returning for the Bulls. Joe Cowley from the Chicago Sun-Times gave a scary update on 670 The Score:

What Does It Mean For Lonzo Ball

Nerve damage could be the beginning of the end of Lonzo Ball’s career. Jay Williams, a former lottery pick for the Bulls, had his career cut short due to a motorcycle accident. While his ligament damage eventually healed, his nerve damage kept him from his comeback attempt. That’s not to say Lonzo Ball won’t be able to play another game in the NBA, but he’s closer to having his career cut short like Brandon Roy than ever playing fully healthy again.

The Chicago Bulls need to rebuild from scratch or retool their team around DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine this summer. They depended on Lonzo Ball as their playmaking point guard, but without him, the Bulls have fallen into isolation-heavy basketball. With Ayo Dosunmu, Alex Caruso, Coby White, and now Patrick Beverley playing point guard for the Bulls, they still do not have a true playmaker on this team. They can either look through the trade market or free agency this summer, but the front office needs to start thinking of alternative plans assuming Lonzo Ball is never returning for the Bulls.