Lonzo Ball drops major update on return date as Bulls guard nears comeback from injury
Long before the Chicago Bulls played their first preseason game on Wednesday, fans have been waiting for news regarding Lonzo Ball's return. While the veteran two-way guard continues to progress in his recovery from a cartilage transplant, it's increasingly becoming more of a question of when rather than if he will come back.
On "The WAE Show" on Friday, Ball gave an update on his return and explained that the team has a plan in place for his first game back after missing two full seasons.
While Ball won't be playing in Saturday's preseason game versus the Memphis Grizzlies, he will be back in action on Monday against the Bucks.
"I'm sitting the first two preseason games. Expecting to play the last two, maybe two of the last three, one of those in there, but everything is going along feeling good," Ball said. "Knee's feeling good. Just looking forward to the future really."
"It's getting better every day, honestly just being out there getting comfortable again on the court, moving around, trusting the movements, all the work that I put in and just seeing it come to life."
When Lonzo Ball checks in for Monday's game, it's expected that he'll be on a minutes restriction as the team eases him back into live games.
Coach Billy Donovan opens up on Lonzo Ball's return, explaining the guard is recovering from Covid
While fans have been eagerly awaiting Lonzo Ball's return, he has been dealing with more than just the ramping-up process following his cartilage transplant. The former No. 2 overall pick is also recovering from Covid, which sidelined him for a week.
Speaking with the Chicago Sun-Times on Wednesday, Bulls coach Billy Donovan talked about the situation and discussed that Ball is working on getting back to 100%:
“I think in talking to medical and even my conversations with him, I think there’s still a period of him getting his strength back," Donovan said. "Probably lost out on working out for more than a week (with Covid). Lost some weight, lost some strength. We’re going to be cautious with the buildup."
“I fully anticipate him playing at some point in the preseason games, but I think it’s going to be based on more practices, load (management), where he’s at physically. Right now, the best decision with where he’s at is just continue to try and build him up.”
Before the injury, the duo of Ball and Alex Caruso won over the hearts of many Chicago fans with their tenacious defense and fast-paced play. Following this summer's trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder that saw the two teams swap Caruso and Josh Giddey, Ball is returning with plenty of new faces on the team.
In addition to Matas Buzelis who was drafted this summer, the Bulls also acquired Jalen Smith, Talen Horton-Tucker, Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Jevon Carter. Despite having a slew of guards, given his ability to facilitate and anchor a defense, a healthy Lonzo Ball has the potential to be a major X-factor for Chicago.