Bulls’ Lonzo Ball, playing 1st game since ’22, ‘full of joy’

CHICAGO — Bulls guard Lonzo Ball said he is “full of joy” to be preparing for his first NBA game in more than two years, but he also acknowledged that he won’t be the same player he was when he last took the court in January 2022.

“It’s not the same body I started off with,” Ball said after Wednesday’s shootaround. “But I think I can still be productive and effective on the court. That’s why I’m still trying to play.”

Ball was restricted to 15 minutes vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves but scored 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the field.

He last played in a game for Chicago on Jan. 14, 2022. Since then, he’s undergone three arthroscopic procedures on his left knee, including a rare double cartilage transplant in March 2023.

“Long. Really long,” Ball said with a laugh when looking back at his recovery process. “But looking back on it, it went a lot faster than I thought. … Them telling me 18 more months recovery [after the third surgery], it sounds crazy in the moment, but now I’m here. It’s all behind me now.”

In his first season in Chicago in 2021-22, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists on 42% shooting in 35 games.

Throughout the recovery process, Ball, who will turn 27 later this month remained confident he’d return to the court, seeking opinions from multiple knee specialists until he found a path to recovery.

“I think it’s the belief in myself — knowing what I was feeling, knowing that I was a good age to come back from it,” Ball said. “I’m just trusting in the doctors and people around me.”

By August, Ball was cleared to play in 5-on-5 scrimmages. He arrived at the Bulls’ facility a few weeks ahead of training camp to begin working out with the rest of the team. He had expected to make his preseason debut earlier in the schedule, but he was set back a few days after testing positive for COVID.

Ball has also had bouts of soreness throughout the preseason, which he said is to be expected. He emphasized both he and the team will have to manage his workload and playing time this season.

“We have a good handle right now, but I think it’s going to change throughout the year,” Ball said. “Every day is going to be a different challenge we just have to overcome.”