Lonzo Ball brings perseverance to Cleveland Cavaliers after years of injury

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Ask Kenny Atkinson about what newly acquired point guard Lonzo Ball brings to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the team’s second-year head coach struggles to capture it fully — at least in English.

“He has that je ne sais quoi,” Atkinson said, smiling. “He just has that feel. I’m excited that he could be the guy that pushes us to the next level.”

For Ball, 27, this season represents a fresh start and an opportunity to reestablish himself as one of the NBA’s most dynamic guards. Once considered among the league’s brightest young talents, his trajectory was interrupted by injuries that kept him sidelined for most of the past two seasons. Now healthy and motivated, he arrives in Cleveland with something to prove — and with a chance to fill a critical need on a team aiming to break through in the Eastern Conference.

Ball was the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged 10 points, seven assists and nearly seven rebounds in his rookie season. He was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans after his second year with the Lakers, and had his best season during his second year with the Pelicans behind a career-high 14.6 points.

The Cavaliers acquired Ball in an offseason trade with the Chicago Bulls, sending guard Isaac Okoro to Chicago in return. Given Ball’s extensive injury history, the trade carried some risk. Since the 2021-22 season, Ball has undergone three procedures on his left knee, including a meniscus and cartilage transplant in 2023. Although he returned to action last season, he appeared in just 35 games as Chicago managed his recovery carefully.

Despite those setbacks, Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman remained confident that Ball’s talent and potential justified the move. Altman had long admired Ball’s game and believed that once healthy, his skill set would complement Cleveland’s roster. Ball’s size at 6-foot-6 — along with his passing, vision and defensive instincts — offer a change of pace from the team’s existing backcourt options. With All-Star guard Darius Garland still recovering from toe surgery, Ball’s presence also provides valuable depth and versatility.

“Once we started to see him get healthy and really impact the game the way he knows how as a 6-6 point guard, we knew that would really fit with us and give us backcourt depth,” Altman said. “He has a great basketball IQ, he’s fun to watch, he’s motivated, and he wants to win.”

Of all of the strengths associated with Ball, his ability as a great passer is often talked about. His reputation for finding open teammates has been noted since his high school days and in his one season at UCLA. Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, got to see Ball’s passing prowess up close during the summer.

“We had some runs over the summer and he played on my team most of the time,” Mobley said. “I knew about his passing ability, but I never experienced it until then. There was this one play where he [unexpectedly] hit me with a pass right in my chest. It was a perfect pass.”

And there’s Ball’s basketball moxie. He has a reputation for making the right play at the right time. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell even dared to say Ball’s mindset is on the level of one particular future Hall of Famer.

“I don’t want to call [his IQ] LeBron [James], but I’d say LeBron-esq from a cerebral standpoint, which I think we need,” said Mitchell, who averaged nearly 30 points per game in the postseason last year. “It’s a mature mindset. Understanding the game at a high level and being able to make adjustments on the fly.”

Atkinson added that Ball’s basketball IQ transfers to winning playoff basketball.

“Because winning playoff teams usually have high IQs,” Atkinson said. “And I don’t know if anybody’s talking about his defense, but he’s a guy who gets you three steals in 10 minutes because his IQ is so good. He gets to a spot before anybody else. He just sees things early.”

All Ball has experienced is perseverance throughout two years of rehab to get his left knee into shape. He doesn’t take his return for granted. He’s thankful.

“It’s a blessing to be able to still be playing,” Ball said. “Obviously, I’ve been playing basketball my whole life and I’m just thankful to be able to go up and down [the court].”

Being able to return to the court meant months of grueling rehab, which would have opened the door for uncertainty, especially since this was the first time Ball had dealt with significant injuries. Fortunately, doubt never dominated the equation, he said.

“It was my will to want to come back and play,” Ball said of his mindset. “It wasn’t an easy path, but in my mind [coming back] was always doable. The injuries were unfortunate and it [returning] was hit or miss, but once we got a plan together and just having a chance is what kept me going.”

Atkinson has been convinced for weeks that Ball will make a healthy return and a major contribution.

“He moves really well for a guy who’s had some injuries,” Atkinson said. “Mike D’Antoni used to say, guys that move really well have quiet feet. You don’t hear his feet. He’s like a cat, it sounds like pitter-patter.”

The Cavaliers and their fans hope to hear championship sounds of success and are betting that Ball’s mix of size, playmaking and basketball IQ can push them deeper into the postseason. If Ball can stay on the floor and recapture the form that once made him one of the league’s most promising young guards, the Cavaliers’ ceiling could rise right along with him.

“I’m in a great situation where [the Cavaliers] have a real good chance to win a ring,” said Ball, who makes his preseason debut with the Cavs against his former team, the Bulls, on Tuesday. “You always want to play to win, and there’s no better place I want to be than in Cleveland right now.”

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