Kofi Inkoom
Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan hasn’t confirmed if Lonzo Ball’s knee rehab has gone backward. Yet, Donovan didn’t sound optimistic either, saying that Ball still can’t sprint.
“I don’t know if he’s stuck,” Donovan said. “He is doing some shooting, some running, some jumping. He hasn’t done any sprinting yet, that I know.”
Donovan was asked if that’s a setback and he stopped short of calling it that.
“They talked about that, and [sprinting] was kind of a goal, a set point. I do think the one thing that has been a priority right now, so he does not get set back, is he needs to develop more strength in his leg,” Donovan said. “Because of him having that surgery and being off his leg so long, before he’s really able to ramp up, I think they want him to get to a place physically that relates to his quad strength. I don’t want to say it’s a holdup, but that’s where they want to get him to. In terms of what he’s doing, he feels better.”
Ball hasn’t played in a game since January 14, 2022. He missed the second half of that season and all of the 2022-23 season.
He’s also out for the current season. So, the next time he might play will be more than two-and-a-half years after his last game.
Before joining the Bulls, Ball played for the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans, spending two seasons with each team.
He was picked by the Lakers as the No. 2 overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft. Markelle Fultz was chosen first by the Philadelphia 76ers, and Jayson Tatum, who’s now one of the NBA’s top players, was picked third by the Boston Celtics.
Without Ball, the Bulls have had an average regular season in 2023-24, with a 27-31 record, placing them as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference.
They’ll need to win a lot more if they want to secure a top-eight seed, as they’re five-and-a-half games behind the Indiana Pacers, who hold the No. 8 spot.
Hopefully, Ball will return to the court for the Bulls soon.