It’s almost easy to forget that Lonzo Ball was still on the Bulls roster.

Heck, some days it’s hard to remember he ever was.

The point guard played his last game in a Bulls uniform back on Jan. 14, 2022, before his left knee began betraying him. Three surgeries later, he still hasn’t returned.

Ball last spoke to the media back on media day, promising, “‘I definitely plan on playing again. I’m only 25 years old, and the rehab process has been going well so far. No setbacks. So for me, it’s just keeping my head up. Just keep doing the work.”

There was news on that “work” on Thursday.

According to coach Billy Donovan, Ball was in Chicago last week, and the two spent some time together catching up.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Donovan said of Ball. “I mean it’s amazing, his disposition has not changed at all. It’s really remarkable. And not to say he’s carefree, because he’s not. I know the guy wants to be out there. The game has been taken away from him for a couple of years now. But his attitude and the optimism that he is going to get back on the floor I appreciate because when you go through what he’s gone through it’s very easy to sit there to doubt and question.”

The flip of the calendar will be big for Ball next week, because the guard is scheduled to start running for the first time in the current rehab process.

“That’s the big thing,” Donovan said. “But everything they’ve done in terms of progressing him, he’s handled very well. The pain he was experiencing that was causing the setback is eliminated in terms of what he’s doing now, but he hasn’t run.”

Ball was ruled out for this entire season back in the summer, so there are no miracle returns expected. Where it could get interesting, however, will be next offseason and into fall training camp. The Bulls did get some relief from Ball’s salary this season through a medical exemption, but he is scheduled to make $21.4 million next season – the final year of his deal.

If he can play during the 2024-25 campaign, how much could he give and what would that even look like as far as the backcourt situation?

All unknowns, which has become par for the course with Ball.

Cutter

Zach LaVine (right foot) went through a third straight day of controlled cutting on Thursday, as the two-time All-Star continued inching his way back to a return.

As long as there are no setbacks, the next step was contact in practices.

“There have been no setbacks, he’s handled (the cutting) fine, but it’s been controlled,” Donovan said. “I think the biggest thing the medical staff wants to see is he continues to progress the random cutting, which would be the live play.

“I think it’s going to be a few more days before he’ll get a chance to do that because they constantly want to elevate his loads in this controlled setting, and once he handles that it will progress into playing more into contact.”

Big man blues

Nikola Vucevic missed his second game with an injured groin, but he was also slowly progressing towards a return.

The hope was he would start running on the court soon, and then the team would have a clearer timetable.