Bulls Exec: 'Plan' Is for Lonzo Ball to Be Ready for Opener amid Knee Injury Rehab

The Chicago Bulls are aiming to have veteran guard Lonzo Ball on the court when they open the 2024-25 NBA season.

"Going into camp, we'll have to bring him up slowly," executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said Monday. "He's already played five-on-five but we haven't seen him go through camp so there will be lot of learning... it will take time."

Karnišovas nonetheless confirmed the Bulls are for now operating under the assumption Ball will be available when they hit the road to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 23.

The 26-year-old hasn't played since January 2022. Since then, he has experienced persistent knee problems that required three different surgeries.

The Bulls ran out to the best record in the Eastern Conference when they had Ball healthy to start the 2021-22 season. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals through 35 games, giving Chicago a dynamic two-way threat in the backcourt.

It's not a total coincidence things steadily unraveled from the moment he got hurt and that the Bulls failed to reach similar heights in the two subsequent seasons. They simply didn't have another player who could replicate his playmaking and defending together.

Now, Ball is rejoining the team as it pivots toward a rebuild. DeMar DeRozan left in a sign-and-trade and Chicago got much younger by swapping Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey. Acquiring Giddey, whose offensive skill set overlaps a bit with Ball, led some to also wonder whether there was a level of organizational pessimism about Lonzo long term.

Playing in NBA games again would obviously be a massive step for Ball. Recent comments by head coach Billy Donovan on 670 The Score's Mully & Haugh Show underscore that many variables are still at play.

"The thing that Arturas mentioned, which is critical, is we don't know how he's going to respond after games, after practices," Donovan said. "Because we haven't seen it. That's where we first got to start off with. Is it something where he plays 15 to 20 minutes and now he's got to take the next day off? Can he play 25 to 30 minutes? How does he respond? The back-to-backs, we don't know any of those things. So we're going to wait to find out."

Donovan added the Bulls "also have a responsibility to make sure that he's in a position where he can play after this season."

Assuming Ball is ready to go on opening night, Chicago may ease him into the rotation over time rather than have him immediately assume the kind of role he occupied before his knee injuries.