Subscribe
Follow Us
Lonzo Ball hasn't stepped on a basketball court since January of 2022 due to numerous knee injuries, but that will change.
The Chicago Bulls guard will return on Wednesday in preseason action against the Minnesota Timberwolves, as reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
The road back for Ball has been a true struggle, facing numerous setbacks along the way. There was even a strong belief at one point that he may never play again.
January 14, 2022 was the last time he participated in an NBA game. Lonzo has been in training camp and was optimistic last week about potentially playing in the season opener:
“That's the goal, obviously we can't really tell the future, but that's the plan I'm on,” Ball said. “I think I'll be ready for the first game for sure.”
Three operations later and Ball is ready to suit up again. First, it was a meniscus surgery that forced him to miss most of the 2021-22 campaign. While Lonzo was expected to make a full recovery, he dealt with complications. That resulted in an arthroscopic procedure to clean up debris around his meniscus.
However, it didn't stop there. Lonzo Ball then had his third surgery in March of last year. That was done to give him a brand-new meniscus. Thankfully, it proved to be the difference-maker as the veteran had a smooth recovery period and started doing on-court activities this past summer with other players in the Association.
Ball felt soreness over the weekend and was held out of shootaround, per Darnell Mayberry. But, his progression continues to go well and the plan is for him to play in the final two preseason games.
Lonzo Ball confident in his abilities post-injury
Coming back from any major injury is difficult. When you have three surgeries, it's even more of a struggle. But, Ball knows that he can still make an impact for the Bulls, even if his game needs to change:
“Obviously I'm not going to be as athletic as I once was before, but I feel like skill and IQ can go a long way, especially in the league,” Ball said, via CBS Sports. “I'm not too worried about it, obviously my game's going to have to change a little bit, but I still know how to play the game and I think I can play at a high level.”
The Bulls have a different look after trading DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings and Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, Josh Giddey arrived in the Caruso deal. He'll likely begin the campaign as the starter while Ball slowly ramps up his minutes.
“I feel like I can personally play with anybody,” Ball said. “I feel a lot older coming back and seeing guys in here now, we have a young team. But I'm excited to get the year started.”
Lonzo Ball also feels optimistic that Giddey's arrival can bring a different element to Chicago on both ends of the floor:
“I think they're trying to do what's best for the team,” Ball said. ” Obviously we had a lot of success when I was running point guard, getting rebounds, pushing it up, and Giddey is capable of doing the same thing. For me I look at it as like, they want to win the most games as possible, and they feel like he can do it, we feel like he can do it and that's why he's here.”
The Bulls begin their season on October 23 against Ball's former team, the New Orleans Pelicans.
