Chicago Bulls offer troubling update on Lonzo Ball’s recovery

The Chicago Bulls have identified that continuity is their theme in the aftermath of the NBA Draft and the start of free agency. The hope is that the moves that the team has made on the periphery will be enough to take them to the next level.

With preaching continuity, the hope is that the Bulls can avoid the injuries that derailed their legitimacy in the NBA Playoffs last season.

The biggest question mark in regards to health for the Bulls is point guard Lonzo Ball. After suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee last January, Ball ultimately missed the rest of the season despite an original diagnosis of six to eight weeks of recovery time.

Ball has been rehabbing with his own personal trainers this summer while in Los Angeles with the Bulls checking in from time to time. While providing an update on Ball while speaking with NBA-TV on Tuesday, Bulls’ executive vice president Arturas Karnisivas had a concerning update on the Bulls’ projected starting point guard.

"“He’s progressing. That’s as much as I can say. He’s getting better. Probably not at the speed that we would like. But he’s getting better,” Karnišovas said. “Hopefully, he’s going to be ready for training camp. That’s just our hopes.”"

To provide further clarification, K.C Johnson, in the same article, cited sources that highlighted what exactly the concern is.

"Multiple sources told NBC Sports Chicago that Ball’s current workout regimen has featured similar starts and stops. In other words, Ball still occasionally experiences discomfort when he increases his workload."

Lonzo Ball is meant to be an important piece to the Chicago Bulls’ success.

The update on Ball definitely provides context on the moves that the Bulls have made this offseason. The two most notable moves that the Bulls made this offseason were the selection of guard Dalen Terry with the 18th overall selection in the NBA draft and the signing of veteran point guard Goran Dragic.

Couple that with the growing likelihood that Coby White will start the season with the Bulls and it is clear that the Bulls wanted to make sure they had insurance for Ball.

The larger picture is what happens if Ball’s knee never fully recovers? Despite the contributions that the Bulls had from DeMar DeRozan last season, Ball always figured to be the most important piece that the team added last summer because of how he projects into the long-term direction for the team.

If Ball’s knee is indeed a long-term concern, then the Bulls may have started to alter their long-term direction with the selection of Terry.