Lonzo Ball’s knee rehab continues with some uncertainty

CHICAGO – Over the course of the offseason, the Bulls have held firm on their commitment to keeping the core of the team they built in the summer of 2021 together into the 2022-2023 season.

One of the main reasons was the fact that they didn’t play together much due to injuries, including one to their starting point guard. Lonzo Ball had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus in January and had setbacks into the spring, preventing his return to the lineup.

Now, based on recent comments from Arturas Karnisovas, there is some uncertainty as to when it may be finally healed.

During an interview on NBA TV during the Bulls’ Summer League game against the Raptors on Tuesday, the executive vice president said that Ball’s rehabilitation process on his left knee wasn’t going quite as they might have hoped.

“He’s progressing,” said Karnisovas on NBA TV. “That’s as much as I can say. He’s getting better, probably not at the speed we would like, but he’s getting better. Hopefully, he’s going to be ready for training camp.

“That’s just our hopes.”

General manager Marc Eversley had a similar goal for Ball when he was asked about him during the post NBA Draft news conference on June 24th. He said that he hoped that the guard would be ready by training camp and would be 100 percent at that time.

“He’s currently working out in LA. Still doing his rehab. We have sent our performance staff to see him every week and kinda track his progress. All reports are good. He’s making progress,” said Eversley on June 24th.

Acquired in a sign-and-trade with the Pelicans last summer, Ball is a key component to the Bulls’ new core as the franchise finally had a solid point guard after years of turnover at the position. From the beginning of the season through January, Ball played in 35 games, averaging 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per contest.