Lonzo Ball shared an injury update on the latest episode of The WAE Show and fortunately, it was a positive one. Ball revealed he'll start playing 5-on-5 as soon as next month.
"I've been getting asked this question a lot," Ball said. "I'm still looking forward to playing the first game, man. My first real test, I feel like, will be this August when I play 5-on-5 for the first time and I'll have a better update then. But it's so far so good, everything has been going well, and getting stronger as well in the weight room. I have no complaints right now."
"I'm getting more comfortable each week," Ball stated. "I can feel my movements getting back to normal, the more time that I'm on the court. It's just about finding that balance, how much stress I can put on it during the day. Trying to juggle with it right now. But like I said, I'll have a better understanding of that when I start playing 5-on-5."
Ball, the second pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, has been on the sidelines for over two years at this point. The 26-year-old last played a game in the NBA on Jan. 14, 2022, against the Golden State Warriors. At various points since then, it had seemed like his career might be over and it's great to know that a return to the court might not be too far away.
Ball's injury nightmare began when he tore his left meniscus in January 2022. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and was expected to only miss 6-8 weeks, but that didn't prove to be the case. In September of that year, he underwent arthroscopic debridement and was only expected to miss the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
There was no sign of Ball as the season went on, though, and in February 2023, he was ruled out for the entire campaign. Any hopes that he would play in 2023-24 were squashed even before the season started, as Ball himself declared he would miss the entire campaign after knee surgery.
That was a cartilage transplant surgery and it's somewhat miraculous that Lonzo is even coming back on the court after that. Ball spoke on how severe the injury was and that he had to get a new meniscus from a donor. He also needed a bone allograft and it all sounded horrible. Fortunately, the nightmare seems to have finally ended now.
What now remains to be seen is just how effective Ball can be after being out for this long. He was shining on both ends of the court the last we saw him, as he averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game for the Chicago Bulls in 2021-22. Will he ever get back to that level? Time will tell.
The Bulls Are Reportedly Looking To Trade Lonzo Ball
While Ball is very optimistic that he'll be back on the court next season, he might not be wearing a Bulls uniform when he returns. The franchise has stuck by him all this time, but now has a new point guard for the future, Josh Giddey.
A full-blown rebuild is underway now in Chicago and the Bulls are reportedly looking to move Ball and Zach LaVine. A trade or a buyout is viewed as likely for Lonzo, but I don't see a team trading for him for the simple reason that he'll be earning $21.4 million next season.
A buyout is the only way I can see the Bulls being able to move on from Ball at this point. If he does indeed become a free agent, then I think he will have some options, as teams would be willing to take a chance on him at a low rate.
Related: 7 Best Destinations For Lonzo Ball If He Is Bought Out From The Bulls
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