by Independence, Ohio (AP) – Lonzo Ball does not have to worry about the rehabilitation of a knee injury for the first time in a few seasons.
Instead, the experienced guard will use the low season that will be acclimatized to a new team.
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Ball was on Monday at the Practice Cavaliers’ Practice Complex with the Medical Staff and Coaches after his profession of the Chicago Bulls for Forward Isaac Okoro was completed on Sunday.
Chicago and Cleveland agreed to trade on 28 June, but it only became official at the start of the new competition year on Sunday.
“I think it’s a great situation for my playing style,” Ball said. “Don (Donovan Mitchell) is one of the best players we have in the competition. And they have two bigs that are mobile, can set pick-and-rolls and then go to the edge. And then switch on defense. I think we can do many different things on both sides of the ball and have the option to do those things.”
Ball on average 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 35 games last season after missing the campaigns 2022-23 and 2023-24 due to a left knee injury. The 27-year-old ball underwent a meniscus and cartilage transplantation in his left knee in March 2023 after two operations had not resolved no injury that he sustained during his first season in Chicago in 2021-22.
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He missed the last two months of the season because of a sprained right -wing poles, but was encouraged with the way his knee held up all season.
“After the matches I didn’t really know what to expect. But when I came back for the first time versus Minnesota in that season game, I was a bit surprised that I was moving,” Ball said. “I feel that I just got better as the year progressed. Unfortunately I had to deal with my wrist, but as far as my knee is concerned, it was pretty good.”
Ball, the second general choice of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 design, still has a year about his contract with a team option for the 2026-27 season.
Cleveland needed Point Guard after Ty Jerome signed with the Memphis Grizzlies. Starter Darius Garland will probably miss the start of the regular season after having undergone an operation on his left big toe last month.
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The Cavaliers had the second best record in the NBA on 64-18, but were eliminated in five games in five games in five games in five games.
Ball still has to participate in a play -off game in the six seasons he played, something that he hopes will change.
“If you start in September or October, you can’t look too far ahead. But they were number 1 in the east last year, so everyone knows that. It’s almost ring or nothing,” he said. “It is normal to make sure that I am willing to be as available as possible and to place myself in the best position to complete the season strong. At the moment it is more than just in the weight room to ensure that my lower body is good and things like that.”
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