On Saturday, coach Billy Donovan gave Bulls fans the first bit of good news they’ve heard all season long. On a pre-game chat with reporters, Billy revealed that their starting point guard, Lonzo Ball, is finally seeing some progress in his recovery and has been well enough to run and sprint on the floor.
“Some of the workouts have been really positive as far as running cutting, jumping, doing those things,” said Donovan, via Tomer Azarly. “So he’s progressed into that and responded well… He’s cutting and running and doing some of that stuff now, obviously it’s all controlled, there’s no contact, but he is doing running and things like that.”
Ball, 26, hasn’t played since the 2021-22 season, when he played just 35 games before undergoing surgery for a torn left meniscus in January. The recovery time for such an injury is typically 3-6 months, but nagging pain left Lonzo unable to return and he’s been out ever since after several failed attempts to heal the area.
Things got so bad for Lonzo that his very career was in jeopardy and some experts were calling on him to retire. Up until just recently, he couldn’t even run or jump on the court without significant pain.
After missing so much time, nobody was sure if Lonzo Ball would ever step on an NBA court again but the latest development is a sign that Lonzo may be having a breakthrough. And while it may be too late to save this season, his return could make things interesting for the Bulls in the 2024-25 campaign when they have a chance to be whole again for the first time in years.
The Chicago Bulls Can Be Relevant Again
While not an All-Star, a healthy Lonzo Ball could change the hierarchy in the Eastern Conference standings. At his best, he was a premiere two-way guard who (along with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan) led the Bulls to the top seed in the East. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals per game for the Bulls in his 35 games and made a massive impact on both ends of the floor.
The last time we saw Lonzo healthy with this core, they were playing like one of the top teams in basketball and many Bulls fans are eager to see them return to that state. But after two years of waiting for Lonzo, questions persist on whether the Bulls are too late to maximize their championship window.
Despite facing those questions, and more, this season, Bulls GM Brandon Beane decided to run it back with this group and keep their cards close to make another move down the road. At 9th in the standings, a play-in berth is probably the best the Bulls can hope for at this point but hope remains that Lonzo can steer them in a better direction.
Next season, if the Bulls can have a healthy team from the jump, and add some quality shooters to space the floor, it may set them up for better success down the road as they try to salvage what’s left of the Lonzo Ball era.
As for what happens with the disgruntled Zach LaVine, it’s a fool’s errand to guess what the future holds for him. But unless another team steps up to make an offer, he may have no choice but to return and try his luck one last time with Lonzo, DeRozan, and head coach Billy Donovan.
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