Lonzo Ball’s recovery plan is back on track.
For the past two years, delays and setbacks defined Ball’s attempt to return to the court for the Chicago Bulls. But the last five months have been the smoothest period of his entire recovery process since first injuring his left knee in January 2022.
Ball underwent surgery in March — his third procedure since the initial injury — to replace cartilage in the knee. Since then he has progressed slowly from basic exercises to basketball activity. And this month Ball cleared the latest bar: returning to five-on-five scrimmaging.
Earlier this year the Bulls set an initial target of August for Ball to return to five-on-five scrimmaging. Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas outlined the progression plan on draft night in June: Ball would begin scrimmaging with full contact in August, then ramp up with his teammates during training camp in October to prepare for a return to game action later in the regular season.
“It’s moving along,” Karnišovas said in June. “We don’t know what he’s going to look like in a month or two, so we’re just going to take one step at a time. Hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp.”
Although the next goal is for Ball to participate during training camp in some capacity, the Bulls remain noncommital on whether they expect the point guard to be cleared to play by opening day. As they prepare for a season defined by change, the Bulls will face two decisive questions regarding Ball.
The first is simple: When will he be cleared for NBA action?
Ball would require a significant ramping-up period, which could include an outing or two with the G League Windy City Bulls before a return to the NBA. If he continues to progress with no further pain, complications or setbacks, he likely would face a firm minutes restriction initially.
The second issue is more nuanced: Is Ball still the same dynamic playmaker and defender who last pulled on a Bulls jersey 31 months ago?
For now, the Bulls’ stopgap in regard to both questions rests on the shoulders of 21-year-old guard Josh Giddey.
In the weeks after acquiring Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Alex Caruso, the Bulls made it clear that trading for the young guard was in part a response to the creative lull that has plagued the offense ever since Ball was injured.
But while Giddey will need to step into an elevated role to offset the absence — or gradual reacclimation — of Ball, he doesn’t fit the exact prototype of the player he’s being asked to replace.
Parts of Giddey’s game make it easy to see flashes of what also makes Ball a special point guard. He laces laser-focused full-court passes to open the transition game and does shifty work with the ball in the paint. Their physical profiles are also similar as taller guards — Giddey is listed at 6-foot-8, Ball at 6-6 — whose length creates mismatches on the perimeter.
But just because both guards are creative facilitators doesn’t mean they would mesh into the offense in the same way.
Giddey still is seeking the consistency in his 3-point shot that Ball displayed in his debut with the Bulls back in 2021. And Giddey is less dynamic off the ball, although the Bulls might be able to adjust in that area given Coby White’s considerable growth last season.
Perhaps the most significant difference between their games is on the defensive end. The Bulls gave up a rare advantage when they traded away Caruso, who elevated the entire Bulls defense as one of the best — if not the outright best — backcourt defenders in the league.
Ball is a similarly savvy perimeter disruptor, which is why his extended absence has been so debilitating for the Bulls on both ends of the court. But that isn’t a strong suit for Giddey, whose game is based on his offensive output.
Giddey might grow into a reasonable defender in Chicago, but it’s unlikely his defensive output ever will match the level of Ball, who used his skills on that end to crack open opponents in transition.
If Ball does return to the lineup, the Bulls would have a serious positional quandary on their hands as they attempt to balance Ball, Giddey, White and Ayo Dosunmu in the backcourt. But they would be happy to take on that sort of surplus, especially if it meant Ball was healthy and productive enough to dislodge his younger teammates from the primary rotation.
For now, both the short- and long-term future of the position rests squarely with Giddey — not to replicate Ball’s style and stature but to grow into a version of the role that is his own.
