Lonzo Ball, who hasn’t played since January of 2022, is apparently on course to be ready for the start of the 2024-2025 season. According to Bulls’ VP of Basketball Operations, Arturas Karnisovas, the plan is to have Ball ready and available come opening night. Following three knee surgeries and over two full seasons spent on the sideline, it’s fair to wonder what we can truly expect from Ball at this point. The former number two overall pick is still just 26 years old. Despite that, his body has obviously been through a lot. It may be a long shot, but if upon return, Ball shows any resemblance of the player who was originally brought in to make the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic work, there could still be a place for him on this current version of the Bulls.
‘Plan’ is for Lonzo Ball to be Ready for Season Opener, According to Bulls’ Exec
Lonzo Ball’s Injury History
Since entering the NBA in 2017, Ball has played more than 60 games in a season just once. Even before his most recent knee issues, Ball had already tallied up a long laundry-list of other injuries, including to his ankles, hip, and thumb—just to name a few. Ball is far from the first player to have his career derailed by injury. Up until his 2022 knee injury, the general consensus was still that he could carve out a lengthy NBA career for himself. Fast forward nearly three years, and prior to Karnisovas’ most recent comments, there had been growing speculation that Ball might never play again.
2024-2025 Outlook
Despite Karnisovas’ comments, Bulls fans should temper their expectations of Ball’s return. As previously mentioned, Ball has played in 60+ games just once before during the course of an NBA season. Don’t expect him to reach that benchmark during the 2024-2025 season. Additionally, Ball has essentially been replaced within the Bulls organization by the younger and more dynamic Josh Giddey. Now, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still opportunities or expectations for Ball. However, the Bulls are relying on him to a much lesser extent than they were during his last healthy stint in 2022.
For Ball, if he can finish the season without any injury setbacks, he should view that as a success. And despite how far-fetched it may seem for a player to reestablish themselves following a nearly three-year injury absence, there are examples of it happening in the NBA today. Jonathan Isaac is an example as he missed a combined total of 235 games across three seasons, but still managed to overcome those injuries enough to warrant a five-year, $84 million contract extension this past offseason. That may be too high a bar to set for Ball upon his return, but it just goes to show no matter how far a player falls, redemption remains a potential outcome. If Ball’s knee injuries are truly a thing of the past, it is not too late for the 26-year old to cement himself as a solid change of pace playmaker off the bench.
