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

Lonzo Ball hasn’t played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022, but after two and a half years sidelined with injuries, this may be the season we actually see him return to the floor. This week, Ball participated 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 his jumpshot in the video, though he wasn’t running at full speed in the scrimmage. The Bulls said he was cleared for 5-on-5 contact at the beginning of August, which is a positive sign for Ball and the Bulls, and this video shows proof that he’s closer to a return than ever before.

It’s the first footage we’ve seen of Ball in game-like action since his last NBA game, and it’s an important milestone in his comeback from an injury that’s seen constant setbacks.

Ball originally tore his meniscus in January 2022, which cost him the rest of the season. It was a massive blow for a Bulls team that had a 22-13 record when he played to start the season. Chicago ranked near the top of 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 the defensive duo of Ball and Alex Caruso. Ball was the orchestrator on 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 went out with the torn meniscus, Chicago wasn’t the same.

There was hope that Ball would return the following season, as most players do after rehabbing from a torn meniscus for a year. But Ball suffered setbacks in his rehab and had to undergo another knee surgery, this time an arthroscopic debridement procedure to clear up debris from his knee. He then underwent a third knee surgery in March 2023, which was an experimental cartilage transplant that gave him a new meniscus.

All those surgeries pushed Ball’s return further down the line, but since his most recent surgery, he hasn’t suffered any setbacks on his road to recovery. That’s great news for the Bulls, but more so for Ball, who enters the 2024-25 season in the final year of his contract. 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 talent as a facilitator and defender, it was a steal of a contract. But through the first three years of that deal, Ball has played just 35 games. He picked up the player option he had on his contract this summer, which was worth $21.3 million, so whenever he does return to Chicago’s lineup, he’ll be playing with the added pressure of trying to secure his next contract.

You would think that if Ball is healthy, the Bulls would re-sign him, but Chicago’s offseason moves suggest that regardless of how Ball returns, they may be looking to close the book on that era. Chicago is entering a new stage after losing DeMar DeRozan in free agency to the Sacramento Kings and trading Alex Caruso — their most valuable trade asset — to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Josh Giddey. 

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

It’s great to see Ball making meaningful progress towards a return. And while the Bulls are further from playoff contention this season than when he originally signed his contract, it may be an ideal situation for him to make his comeback with the expectations not as high in Chicago.