As the season dragged on, it became increasingly clear that Zach LaVine would have to address his knee issue during the offseason. News eventually broke in late May that he did exactly that, with the Chicago Bulls officially announcing the two-time All-Star underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Questions initially surfaced about whether or not LaVine’s knee surgery would impact the way the organization approached his looming unrestricted free agency. His recent signing of a five-year, $215 million max extension answered that question with a resounding “no.” LaVine also took the time to fill reporters in on exactly how routine his offseason has gone post-surgery.
“I feel great,” LaVine said on Monday. “I had a run-of-the-mill knee scope. Just go in there and clean some stuff out. I feel way better. I’ve been rehabbing, working out, playing, lifting, doing all the good stuff and boring stuff, too. You have to start slow like always, but it’s been good. I feel really good and over the next two months getting back into the season I feel like I’ll be even better.”
All things considered, I’d say that’s about as positive of an update as we could have gotten!
While LaVine noted it’s best to start the recovery process slow, he also seems to imply that he’s now back to doing most of his normal on-court activities. And recent images of him working out with trainer Drew Hanlen suggest just that.
Professional athletes are oftentimes creatures of habit, so it’s reassuring to know LaVine is in a relatively normal place with still two full months of the offseason left to go. Now … can we please just get the same update about Lonzo Ball?