{"id":69040,"date":"2024-03-19T13:29:52","date_gmt":"2024-03-19T17:29:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=69040"},"modified":"2024-04-06T22:32:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-07T02:32:54","slug":"bulls-lonzo-ball-teases-potential-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/19\/bulls-lonzo-ball-teases-potential-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular Bulls Guard Teases Potential Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago Bulls guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/balllo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lonzo Ball<\/a> hasn\u2019t played an NBA game since Jan. 2022. Fortunately for him and the franchise, his elongated absence may soon be coming to an end.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Lonzo Ball shared this video yesterday going through some basic dunks.<\/p>\n<p>Hard to glean explosiveness\/mobility from these brief clips but good in general to see him look comfortable getting up to the rim. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IWOO6DOoiK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/IWOO6DOoiK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/byjuliapoe\/status\/1770072333077934385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, Ball released a video of himself throwing down a couple of running dunks. Though likely not intended to indicate his being at full strength, it\u2019s a confidence-builder during a recovery process that\u2019s seen several setbacks. Earlier this month, Ball reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/03\/09\/chicago-bulls-provide-promising-lonzo-ball-injury-update\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">resumed sprinting and cutting<\/a> on the court.<\/p>\n<h2>Lonzo Ball Teases Potential Return<\/h2>\n<p>Indeed, it was <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DiamondDogzzz\/status\/1694008382288490565?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">only a few months ago<\/a> that ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith was alleging \u201cit\u2019s even hard for [Ball] to get up from the sitting position\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ball, taking offense, would offer proof that Smith\u2019s reports were unfounded. However, he didn\u2019t provide any lasting comfort. His injury history was louder than the 15-second clip he posted.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stephenasmith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@stephenasmith<\/a> come to the actual source next time. I\u2019m not hard to reach <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/88xyoB7LTf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/88xyoB7LTf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Lonzo Ball (@ZO2_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZO2_\/status\/1694089798464741662?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 22, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Taunted by his body, the former second-overall pick has been sidelined for two years due to ongoing complications from a meniscus tear. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear, he was initially expected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/bulls\/news\/lonzo-ball-injury-update\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to be out for 6-8 weeks<\/a>. However, two and a half months later, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Experiencing pain during \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/bulls\/news\/lonzo-ball-injury-update-0\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">high-level physical activity<\/a>,\u201d this route appeared to be the best option.<\/p>\n<p>That process was repeated the next season. Before the Bulls\u2019 2022-23 campaign, Ball opted for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/news\/lonzo-ball-arthroscopic-debridement-procedure\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an arthroscopic debridement<\/a> and was given a 4-6 week recovery timetable. At the time, Ball said he \u201cstill cannot run or jump nine months after the surgery\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/bulls\/news\/lonzo-ball-cant-run-or-jump-talks-surgery-and-next-steps\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">can\u2019t flex his knees properly<\/a> and cannot even attempt routine basketball activities,\u201d per NBA.com\u2019s Sam Smith.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cLiterally, I really can&#8217;t run. I can&#8217;t run or jump. There&#8217;s a range from, like, 30 to 60 degrees when my knee is bent that I have, like, no force and I can&#8217;t catch myself. Until I can do those things I can&#8217;t play.\u201c<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>By late February, the two-way playmaker was ruled out for the remainder of the season due to the discomfort he experienced during basketball activities. It was what Ball considered the \u201cworst-case scenario.\u201d A month later, he had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nba.com\/bulls\/news\/lonzo-ball-update\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a cartilage transplant<\/a> in his left knee. He was subsequently ruled out for the entire 2023-24 season.<\/p>\n<h3>Total Recall<\/h3>\n<p>A cautious approach requires plenty of patience and Ball has had that. The Bulls have had that. Even the fans have patiently awaited Ball\u2019s return. At only 26 years old, he <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/02\/11\/hawks-9-realistic-targets-trade-exception\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">has a lot more basketball<\/a> that he can play before he decides to hang it up.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Great to see Lonzo moving around a bit and getting some shots up <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4zElswpux1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4zElswpux1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Will Gottlieb (@Will_Gottlieb) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Will_Gottlieb\/status\/1754573575908962419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A bit more of Lonzo Ball\u2019s corner shooting motion after Bulls practice this morning <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yiBiRPTTs7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/yiBiRPTTs7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/byjuliapoe\/status\/1754575780057624649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Ball briefly resurfaced in February after attending (though not participating in) Bulls practice.<\/p>\n<p>Showcasing his shooting stoke, his career-high 43.2 percent conversion rate on 3-point attempts in his last healthy season didn\u2019t seem like such a distant memory. Nor did his lockdown perimeter defense or floor general facilitating for that matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball hasn\u2019t played an NBA game since Jan. 2022. Fortunately for him and the franchise, his elongated absence may soon be coming to an end. Lonzo Ball shared this video yesterday going through some basic dunks. Hard to glean explosiveness\/mobility from these brief clips but good in general to see him [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":69054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1608,62,3],"tags":[667,4745],"class_list":["post-69040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bulls","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-lonzo-ball","tag-nba-injuries"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69040"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69040\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}