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Lonzo Ball is progressing well with his recovery after having surgery to repair his torn meniscus in January. The question is whether he will be ready for the start of the Chicago Bulls' training camp.
Chicago initially called Ball's injury a knee bruise, but he was later diagnosed with a torn meniscus.
Following the Jan. 28 surgery, the initial timetable for his return was eight weeks. Ball never returned, though, missing the rest of the season.
He appeared in just 35 games, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists, shooting an identical 42.3% overall and beyond the arc.
Ball was one of the league's best two-way players and one of the reasons for Chicago's resurgence last season.
The franchise went 22-13 with him and was on top of the Eastern Conference standings, at 27-12, when he went down with the injury.
With the young guard out, the Bulls went 19-24 to close the regular season at 46-36, good for sixth in the East.
In the postseason, the team missed his defensive presence and ability to run in transition, losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games.
"We missed him greatly this year," Bulls' executive vice president, Arturas Karnisovas said. "We missed his size, him pushing the break, we got a little bit slower second half of the season. ... We're missing him, but we'll pay attention to what's going on there and figure it out this summer."
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Bulls hopeful Lonzo Ball will be back on time for the season start
Given how much his absence cost the team, will Lonzo Ball return on time for the start of training camp?
Bulls general manager Marc Eversley is hopeful Ball will have fully recovered by early autumn. He also said Ball is finally progressing with his recovery after weeks of setbacks and consistent knee pain.
"Currently working out in LA, still doing his rehab. We have sent our performance staff to see him every week and track his progress. All reports are good. He's making progress," Eversley said, via K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports.
It is obvious that Chicago wants to avoid taking any risks and making long-term predictions. With that in mind, a week-to-week approach makes more sense.
Having Ball back and fully recovered is a priority for Chicago, along with re-signing superstar guard Zach LaVine.
What Eversley said was the only update from the team on Ball's condition since late April, when the young guard addressed his recovery in his exit interview.
What Ball said was that he was working hard to get back as early as possible, but setbacks derailed his return. He added that his priority in the summer would be to get healthy and be able to play a full season.
That said, all signs point to Ball making his return sooner rather than later.
Ball still has three years and $61.4M left on his contract. With him healthy, the Bulls have a great chance to take the next step and fight for the NBA championship next season.
