Lonzo Ball’s didn’t avoid the elephant in the room. Within the first few seconds of the inaugural episode, Ball addressed his current health status and provided an update on his return to play.
To be sure, he didn’t throw a precise timeline, but he did sound optimistic about where his body stands heading into the summer:
“It’s coming along, man,” Lonzo Ball said. “Week by week it’s improving, so that’s all I can ask for. It’s still not where I want it to be, but out of 100 [percent], I’d probably say I’m 70 [percent]. Good enough to play, but I can still get better I feel like. Still got a long summer ahead of me, but I’m still looking forward to the future.”
These words from Ball come only 10 days after he reportedly picked up his player option for the 2024-25 season. While the decision came as a shock to no one – he was never going to turn down a $21.4 million deal – it officially put the Bulls 🅺in an uncomfortable posiꦰtion as they look toward the offseason. Arturas Karnisovas vowed that changes would be on the horizon, but a jam-packed cap sheet is expected to make that process difficult.
This is why there has been a lot of talk about the team potentially investigating the career-ending injury provision. Chicago could have Ball’s entire contract removed from their books if the league deemed it more likely than not that the 26-year-old couldn’t return to NBA action. However, the Bulls have refused to go down that road thus far, and this update from Ball might officially block that road altogether.
Is Lonzo Ball Close to a Return?
On the surface, Lonzo Ball throwing around the words “70 percent” and “good enough to play” feels pretty darn encouraging. This is certainly the best update we’ve heard from him in a long time, and it’s hard not to think it bodes well for a 2024-25 comeback.
At the same time, we’re talking about someone who hasn’t appeared on an NBA basketball court since Jan. 14, 2022. While it’s great to know he’s remaining positive, we can’t believe he’s ready to reclaim a place in this league until we see it. Ball has undergone three knee surgeries over the last two years – one of which was a cartilage transplant. Even if he is able to ramp up enough to re-enter an NBA rotation, how confident can we be in his ability to stay healthy?
Anyway, I won’t rain on his parade too much. This is the best shape Lonzo Ball has seemingly been in – both physically and mentally – in quite some time, and I genuinely hope he stays on that trajectory. However, as far as a real return to the Bulls’ rotation goes, I’ll wait to see where things stand closer to training camp.
Check out the clip from Lonzo Ball’s podcast below:
. gives us an update on his recovery ❤️!
— The WAE Show (@TheWAEShow)
