It has been a long time since we’ve seen Lonzo Ball take the court for the Chicago Bulls. After undergoing arthroscopic surgery on January 28 of this year, Ball has yet to return to the court.
Initially being given a timetable of roughly a month and a half or so, Ball has not responded the way anyone expected him to during his rehab and attempts to ramp up. After missing the rest of the season for the Bulls, Ball should have certainly been good to go for training camp this fall, right?
Not so fast, as it’s been reported he’s likely to miss all of camp and is doubtful to start the regular season. Each time Ball has attempted to ramp up his recovery, his knee has endured some pain and swelling.
This injury, while seemingly worrisome, is actually reminiscent of another fellow NBA player’s situation at the moment: Los Angeles Lakers guard Kendrick Nunn.
Chicago Bulls fans can take solace in the fact that Lonzo Ball is not alone in his current injury situation, and that there is hope.
Nunn missed all of last season with a bone bruise in his knee after the Lakers signed him to a two-year deal. He’s taken far longer to recover than originally expected, and even though he’s said he feels 100 percent right now, he’s still not cleared for full activity.
Similar to Ball’s situation, Nunn experienced setback after setback each time he tried to take another step in his rehabilitation. Now having said that he’s finally feeling healthy, it looks as though he could be ready for camp.
Ball has missed just a little less time than Nunn, so it’s not out of the question to think that the end is near for the Bulls guard. He may miss the beginning of the season, but if his situation is like Nunn’s, then there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
For now, Bulls fans just have to stay patient and stick with the process. This is a team that was sitting atop the Eastern Conference at one point last year, with Ball on the court, and needs him to be completely cleared before he attempts to come back.
Bulls fans know, more than anyone, the pain of seeing a young guard go through lengthy knee injuries. We don’t even have to go into the Derrick Rose saga. Hopefully, for Ball’s sake, and for the Bulls’ sake, he’s back sooner rather than later. But, just know, that he isn’t the only one going through a tough knee injury and recovery.