Bulls executive has concerning comments about Lonzo Ball

Mar 26, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball warms up before their game against the Denver Nuggets at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

It has now been over six months since we last saw Lonzo Ball on the basketball court, and the wait may still be a while longer.

Speaking on the NBA TV broadcast of his team’s Summer League game against the Toronto Raptors this week, Chicago Bulls executive Arturas Karnisovas was asked about the veteran guard Ball’s health. Karnisovas responded with some seemingly concerning remarks.

“He’s progressing. That’s as much as I can say,” said Karnisovas of Ball, per Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune. “He’s getting better — probably not at the speed that we would like, but he is getting better. Hopefully he’s going to be ready for training camp, [but] that’s just our hopes.”

Ball, 24, was limited to just 35 games this past season in his first year as a Bull (the lowest of his career). He underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee in January and missed the last three months of the season, including Chicago’s first-round playoff loss to Milwaukee. A concerning report also emerged about Ball’s progress last month.

The former No. 2 overall pick Ball has already had a litany of knee troubles during his young career and had a prior surgery on his left meniscus in 2018 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Training camp is expected to begin around the second half of September, and the Bulls do not sound especially optimistic that Ball will be ready to rock by then. That may have been why Chicago made this notable free agent signing earlier in the offseason.