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Lonzo Ball ready to begin Cavaliers tenure in hopes of moving past injury history
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- Lonzo Ball ready to begin Cavaliers tenure in hopes of moving past injury history
CLEVELAND — Lonzo Ball is back. The idea for him and the Cavaliers is to ensure it stays that way.
Ball, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Balls in exchange for Isaac Okoro in June, will have a chance to carve out a key role as a backup guard in Kenny Atkinson's rotation. But more than that, he'll have an opportunity to redirect his career back on track.
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Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft , has an extensive injury history — namely with his left knee — that has limited him to only 70 games in the last four seasons. Ball tore the meniscus in that left knee multiple times, to the point that bone was rubbing on bone and he needed a meniscus transplant and extra cartilage inserted.
It cost him two full years of his career, and he hasn't played more than 35 games in a season since 2020-21. Once he finally began to move past his knee rehab last season with the Bulls, a wrist injury again sidelined him.
It all reached the point where it was unclear if he'd ever play again.
"I always loved the game. I never took it for granted," Ball said. "The love of the game never left. It was just more so not knowing the unknown. I've been playing basketball my whole life, so for that to get taken away and not really knowing what I wanted to do with myself, you know, was kind of hard to get through. But I feel like I came out a better person for it."
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The Cavs acquiring him while losing Ty Jerome to free agency offers Ball not only a chance at a title, but an opportunity to remain on the court in an elevated role. A runway for additional minutes exists while All-Star guard Darius Garland , who is expected to miss the beginning of the regular season, rehabs from offseason toe surgery. But Ball is likely to remain on more of a cautious program because of his injury past.
"I think really with him more than anybody, our goal is to have him be ready for the playoffs, so we're going to have to monitor it and communicate with him," Atkinson said before the Cavs' preseason opening game against the Chicago Bulls , which they lost 118-117 Oct. 7 at Rocket Arena. "A guy with a pretty tough injury, he moves pretty well. There's a reason this guy was a second overall pick in our league."
Lonzo Ball contract
Ball, who will make $10 million this season with a team option for $10 million in 2026-27, played 11 minutes in the preseason opener, missing the four shots he took from the floor and dishing out one assist. It was step one for an NBA veteran whose injury history has forced him to almost exclusively take steps back for four years.
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"I mean, the rehab process was super long," Ball said of his time with the Bulls. "Each week was something different pretty much, but just building the confidence and being on the same page with everyone as far as the coaching staff and the trainers over there at the time. … I was grateful for the people that were around me, that helped me get to this point where I can, you know, still play."
Few players in recent league history have a longer injury resume than Ball. Because of that, it'll be a lengthy road back for him to come close to his first few years in a league, when he averaged 32.5 minutes. As the Cavs look to replace Jerome and offer some protection at point guard — which proved to be an issue in their playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers when Garland was unavailable — Cleveland is now invested in the next chapter of Ball's recovery.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Lonzo Ball could carve out key role with Cleveland Cavaliers
