It’s been more than 1,000 days since Lonzo Ball last played in an NBA game, and after three knee surgeries and two and a half missed seasons, Ball is expected to make his return to basketball Wednesday night when the Bulls take on the Timberwolves in a preseason game, per The Athletic.
Ball said during Media Day that he hopes to play in the Bulls’ regular season opener on Oct. 23 against the Pelicans, but after missing Chicago’s first two preseason games, it raised the question of if he would be ready for that timeline. Ball has been a participant during training camp, but needed to work his way up to playing in game action. Now it appears that time has come, and we’ll get to see Ball back on the court in a Bulls jersey for the first time since Jan. 14, 2022.
It’s a huge milestone for Ball, who has suffered several setbacks in his journey to get back to this point. His initial knee injury was a meniscus tear, which was supposed to sideline him for a year after surgery. However, setbacks along the way forced Ball to have another knee surgery, this time an arthroscopic debridement procedure to clear up debris from the previous surgery. Ball was expected to have a normal rehab process but in March 2023 he had his third surgery in two years, an experimental cartilage transplant that gave him a new meniscus.
Ball said during Media Day that he basically has a “brand new knee,” and while he noted that his athleticism won’t be the same as before, he feels like his basketball IQ can make up for that. We’ll have to see how that loss in athleticism truly impacts Ball’s game, but it shouldn’t hurt him too much, especially considering he isn’t returning to the same Bulls team that he joined in 2021. With Chicago trading for Josh Giddey this summer, it practically signaled the end of Ball’s time as the starting point guard. Ball will, in all likelihood, come off the bench for the Bulls, and while he may still play a significant role in the rotation, he won’t be as relied upon as he once was.
Chicago will still need his reliable defense, 3-point shooting and elite facilitation, but with a crowded backcourt that also features young guards in Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, Ball’s role may not be as all-important as it was when the Bulls were contending for the playoffs in 2022. But regardless of Ball’s role on the Bulls, having him back in the fold is a major plus, not just for Chicago, but for the former No. 2 overall pick’s career.
Prior to the injuries, Ball was one of the better perimeter defenders in the league, and was the conductor of an efficient and potent Bulls offense in 2022. We’ll have to see if Ball can return to the player he was, or if he can adjust his game in a way to still be effective. If he does, he’ll certainly have revitalized what was once a promising career.
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