Bulls guard Lonzo BallSources say he, who has been out since Oct. 28 with a sprained right wrist, is hoping to make his return to action at Wednesday's competition in Orlando ESPN's Shams Charania and Ramona Shelburne. It's the second straight game for the Bulls, who are in Washington on Tuesday.
According to Charania and Shelburne, Ball completed an extensive workout in front of the Bulls' coaches on Saturday and completed another workout on Tuesday.
Ball made his long-awaited return from multiple knee surgeries at the start of the 2024-25 season and played a regular-season game last month for the first time since January 2022. However, he only played three games before leaving with a new wrist injury.
The good news for Ball and the Bulls is that his surgically repaired knee appears to have held up well in his first few appearances. Although the 27-year-old's numbers at the beginning of the season (4.7 points, 3.7 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game on 35.7% shooting) were not outstanding, the team had in his 47th .Play a net rating of +20.3 minutes of action.
We have more from the Central region:
- After averaging 17.6 minutes per game and appearances in each of the dollar' first 13 games of this season, Pat Connaughton has been a DNP-CD the last four years, all Milwaukee wins. Head coach Doc Rivers said the decision to demote Connaughton, who averaged 4.9 points per game on 35.5% shooting, was “not that profound,” according to the statement Eric Nehm of The Athletic. “It just so happens that there are people who are playing well at the moment” Connaughton said. “And what I love about Pat is that he’s a professional and he stays ready. That’s how deep it is.”
- Gary Trent Jr.who accepted a one-year contract with a minimum salary dollar Hoping to rebuild his value before free agency in 2025, he got off to a slow start as the team's starting shooting guard but has blossomed since being moved to a reserve role, making 57.9% of his three-point attempts and scored double points. single-digit points in six straight games. Milwaukee is 7-3 with Trent coming off the bench, which could help boost his stock more than it would have in the starting lineup Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. “If he plays in a winning team, he can earn a lot more” Rivers said.
- Within a mailbag for Cleveland.com (Subscriber only link), Chris Fedor asks where things stand Cavaliers wing Max Strus in his recovery from a sprained ankle. According to Fedor, Strus has started working on the court but continues to limit himself to “light movements and shots in non-contact 1v0 settings.” Fedor expects Strus to be on a minutes restriction and come off the bench in his first return, but notes he could reclaim his starting spot at some point as Cleveland is eager to see what he looks like Kenny Atkinsonis the new up-tempo system.
