Lonzo Ball has been hindered by injuries for quite some time now, as the Bulls player suffered setback after setback during his recovery process which now has extended to two-and-a-half years. After playing his last game on January 14, 2022, the athlete revealed he’s aiming to return to compete in Chicago’s season opener.
As we are still three weeks away from their regular-season match against the Pelicans, Lonzo attended the press and surprised everyone with his ambitious statements. “That’s the goal, obviously we can’t really tell the future, but that’s the plan I’m on,” Ball assured. “I think I’ll be ready for the first game for sure.”
The club president Arturas Karnisovas reinforced his player’s words by confirming “that’s the plan” of him appearing for opening night. Nevertheless, the owner was cautious by also noting that they still need to monitor how Ball’s knee reacts during training camp.
Lonzo Ball in the gym. 🔥🔥🔥
(via @chicagobulls)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 1, 2024
“Going into training camp, we’re going to have to bring [Lonzo] up slowly,” Karnisovas explained. “He’s already played 5-on-5, but we haven’t seen him go through training camp so there’s going to be a lot of learning experience during training camp and how he can take loads, everyday practices. We’re going to take it one step at a time.”
Even though Lonzo is feeling stronger than ever, he did admit that he expects his role to be shortened for the first months. He will likely be on a minutes restriction to begin with, and later on admitted that he won’t be the same player he used to be.
However, he’s developed other talents during this time. “Obviously I’m not going to be as athletic as I once was before, but I feel like skill and IQ can go a long way, especially in the league,” he said. “I’m not too worried about it, obviously my game’s going to have to change a little bit, but I still know how to play the game and I think I can play at a high level.”
Josh Giddey, who is also injured, shares a similar role as Lonzo. “I think they’re trying to do what’s best for the team,” Ball expressed. ” Obviously we had a lot of success when I was running point guard, getting rebounds, pushing it up, and Giddey is capable of doing the same thing.”
New Bulls star Josh Giddey should be fully recovered from ankle injury suffered in Olympics before season tip-off
Josh Giddey ruptured his ankle ligament during Australia’s stint in this past summer’s Paris Olympics. Despite spending the past months in recovery, the new Bulls recruit has opened up to the press about his current situation, and assured everyone around that he is on track to be available for his club by the start of this upcoming NBA season.
It was during their matchup against Serbia, where the Aussie guard rolled his ankle and fell to injury. That night, he remained on the court and witnessed how the Boomers lost this 95-90 quarter-final clash after giving up a 24-point lead against the Europeans.
Once eliminated from the competition, he flew back to Melbourne with his teammates and reviewed his scans through medical scans, which indicated he suffered serious damage to his anterior talofibular ligament. Two months later, he’s still closing to the end of his rehabilitation.
Giddey expects to be ready for action for the Bull’s first regular-season match against the Pelicans on October 24. “It’s probably at a point where if it was a play-off game I’d be out there playing but because we’re in the off-season, this isn’t something that you want to rush,” he assured.
