Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball remains unable to sprint as he continues to rehab a knee injury that has kept him off the floor for more than two calendar years, coach Billy Donovan told reporters Tuesday.
"I don't know if he's stuck," Donovan said. "He is doing some shooting, some running, some jumping. He hasn't done any sprinting yet, that I know."
"They talked about that, and [sprinting] was kind of a goal, a set point. I do think the one thing that has been a priority right now, so he does not get set back, is he needs to develop more strength in his leg," Donovan said. "Because of him having that surgery and being off his leg so long, before he's really able to ramp up, I think they want him to get to a place physically that relates to his quad strength. I don't want to say it's a holdup, but that's where they want to get him to. In terms of what he's doing, he feels better."
Ball has not played since Jan. 14, 2022. Originally expected to miss just a matter of weeks with a torn meniscus, Ball has instead battled through a long and arduous rehabilitation process. He most recently underwent a cartilage transplant in his left knee in March 2023 that the team hoped would allow him to resume his basketball career.
The Bulls have expressed hope Ball will be ready for the start of the 2024-25 season. Ball has repeatedly said he plans on returning to the floor, though the fact he is not yet running is cause for concern.
Chicago owes Ball $21.4 million for 2024-25, the final season of a four-year, $80 million contract. The UCLA product has played in just 35 games as a Bull.
When Ball was last on the floor, he was a steady two-way point guard was knocking down a career-high 42.3 percent of his shots from three-point range. Ball never lived up to his hype as the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but he was the definition of a steady, hard worker on both ends who had shown improvement throughout his pro career.
The Bulls have been stuck in a state of mediocrity with Ball on the mend. They're 27-31 and are seemingly set for their second straight losing season. Donovan has led Chicago to just one winning season in his four years as coach.
