Lonzo Ball shows progress in 5-on-5 scrimmages as Bulls guard works on return after missing two seasons

Lonzo Ball hasn’t played in an NBA game since January 14, 2022, but after two and a half years away from the field due to injuries, this could be the season we see him return to the field. This week, Ball took part in a 5-on-5 scrimmage with fellow NBA players Jaren Jackson Jr., Daniel Gafford and DeAndre Jordan.

Ball showed off his passing skills and jumpshot in the video, though he wasn’t running at full speed in scrimmages. The Bulls said he was cleared for 5-on-5 contact in early August, which is a positive sign for Ball and the Bulls, and this video shows evidence that he’s closer to returning than ever.

This is the first footage we’ve seen of Ball in game-like action since his last NBA game, and it marks a significant milestone in his return from injury, which has seen him suffer repeated setbacks.

Ball originally tore his meniscus in January 2022, causing him to miss the rest of the season. It was a huge blow to a Bulls team that had a 22-13 record when he played early in the season. Chicago was atop the Eastern Conference at the time and looked like a team that could make some noise in the postseason, thanks to a potent offense behind DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine and a defensive duo of Ball and Alex Caruso. Ball was the orchestrator in the offense, setting up teammates and knocking down 3s, while playing hard-nosed defense on the other end of the floor. He was the ideal point guard for that Bulls team, and once he was out with a torn meniscus, Chicago was never the same.

Ball was expected to return the following season, as most players do after spending a year recovering from a torn meniscus. But Ball suffered setbacks in his rehabilitation and had to undergo another knee surgery, this time an arthroscopic debridement procedure to remove debris from his knee. He then had a third knee surgery in March 2023, an experimental cartilage transplant, giving him a new meniscus.

All of those surgeries pushed Ball’s return further, but since his most recent surgery, he hasn’t had any obstacles in his path to recovery. That’s great news for the Bulls, but even more so for Ball, who is in the final year of his contract entering the 2024-25 season. Ball signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Bulls in the summer of 2021 as part of a sign-and-trade with New Orleans. Given his talents as a facilitator and defender, it was a great contract. But in the first three years of that deal, Ball has only played 35 games. He picked up the player option on his contract this summer, worth $21.3 million, so whenever he does return to Chicago’s lineup, he’ll have to play with the added pressure of securing his next contract.

You would think that if Ball is healthy, the Bulls would re-sign him, but Chicago’s offseason moves show they are trying to end that era, regardless of Ball’s return. Chicago is entering a new phase after it lost DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings in free agency and traded Alex Caruso — their most valuable trade asset — to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey.

Giddey’s acquisition was viewed solely as a replacement for Ball, as he is viewed as the starting point guard for the Bulls when the 2024-25 season begins. That doesn’t mean Ball won’t get valuable minutes if he makes a full recovery. Still, given his injury history, the Bulls may be wary of signing him to another contract, especially since Chicago will still owe LaVine and Nikola Vucevic a combined $67.5 million after next season while also dealing with Giddey’s unrestricted free agency next summer.

It’s great to see Ball making meaningful progress toward a comeback. And while the Bulls are far from a playoff race this season compared to when he originally signed his contract, this could be an ideal situation for him since there aren’t as many expectations placed on him in Chicago.