Is there enough time for Lonzo Ball to make a comeback this season?
The Chicago Bulls are hoping that a potential return of ace point guard Lonzo Ball can save their season. However, with the All-Star break approaching and the end of the NBA season becoming closer, there is a pressing question: Is there enough time left for Ball to make a comeback?
Ball's status remains uncertain
The answer to this question is uncertain. Ball has been out since January 2022 with a knee injury and has undergone two surgeries during that stretch. Although the UCLA product has posted videos of him running and dunking on his social media channels, Bulls coach Billy Donovan claims Ball is nowhere near close to returning to the NBA floor.
“He’s made some progress, but I’d be the first one to tell you he’s nowhere near playing,” Donovan said. “He’s just not. Because he’s not running on a consistent basis. When he can get to that place where he can do that consistently and be able to come back the next day and do it again, do it again and do it again — I think you’ll feel a little bit more optimistic.”
Currently sitting at 10th in the Eastern conference with a 23-26 record, Chicago has struggled to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. With one disappointing performance after another, the Bulls are desperate for an energy boost. Ball's return would be a welcome spark, but it remains to be seen if he will have enough time to get back in form and make an impact this season.
Time is running out
An NBA player's return from an injury as serious as Ball's is measured in stages. Given how Ball is currently doing, Donovan said he, the medical staff, team management, and Ball himself must seriously weigh whether the point guard will have enough time to go through the steps necessary before a return is even considered.
“My guess would be – there’s not been a specifically set date – my guess would be I think we get through the All-Star Break, I think there would probably be everybody sitting down to talk about length and time of the season, how realistic is it for him to get back, if he could get back what would the minutes look like, is it not worth having him back just because it’s too much?’’ Donovan said.
"I think everything, at least in my conversations with medical about him, have always been geared towards helping him get back to playing. Certainly once you get out of the All-Star Break, with the amount of time that’s left, basically you’re at the end of February,” Donovan added. “You have all of March and not even two weeks in April, so you start to get to that point where I think there will be some conversations of, ‘OK, if he’s still not close to playing, what’s the plan moving forward?’"
