Sports Medicine Doctor Explains Lonzo Ball's Latest Surgery

The biggest takeaway is that Lonzo Ball would be the first professional athlete ever to resume playing after this kind of surgery. This is because cartilage transplants are part of the next generation of orthopedics and sports medicine. The scope of the surgery is to take some of Ball's healthy cartilage and place it where he has damaged cartilage.

Sutterer put forth a very simplistic explanation of the anatomy and physics behind what has happened with Ball's previous surgeries. He then explained in the same detail what the new surgery would achieve.

Sutterer said that few surgeries of this nature have been performed on younger athletes. While the operation has a limited history, some advances have been made, though a lot of the ideas and types of surgeries still need to be revolutionized.

In general, about 76 percent of athletes who underwent the surgery return to sports. These were mostly non-professionals, and it is unknown if they returned to their previous playing capabilities.

Alas, Lonzo Ball's future outlook remains mostly unknown. Getting back to basketball would be a bonus to moving freely without pain. Still, this is not a guaranteed fix.

The Chicago Bulls can hope all they want, but it appears Ball is trailblazing a path that no professional athlete has traveled down before.