Getty Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball
Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball took to Instagram to send an important message to his fans.
Ball, the starting point guard for the Bulls, posted a picture of him dunking with the caption, “One step back Two steps forward… Appreciate all the love I’ll be back better than ever.”
The Bulls shut Ball down for the season on April 6. The UCLA product underwent surgery on his left knee in Los Angeles on January 28 and continues to experience pain with high-level physical activity. Ball will continue daily treatment and rehabilitation in preparation for the 2022-23 season.
One of the best young combo guards in the NBA, Ball will finish his first season with the Bulls with averages of 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists. He shot 42.3% from the field, 42.3% from beyond the arc and 75.0% from the free-throw line and Chicago will miss his defense and playmaking skills in the postseason.
Bulls Haven’t Been the Same Since Ball Went Down
Ball’s last game of the season was on January 14 against the Golden State Warriors. The Bulls lost that contest by 42 points, but they still had an impressive record of 27-13.
Since Ball got hurt, Chicago is 18-23 and the team misses its floor general on both sides of the court.
“Just the whole dynamic of the game changes with ‘Zo out there,” Bulls star DeMar DeRozan told K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “Man, the excitement that he brings. He brings a different type of swagger to us when he plays. I’m pretty sure you can pinpoint that when he’s out there.”
According to Johnson, the Bulls’ defensive rating was at 107.0 when Ball played and 114.3 when he didn’t. The former Los Angeles Lakers star finished fifth on the Bulls with 112 deflections and first in steals per game (1.8) despite only playing in 35 contests.
The Bulls gave Ball a four-year, $80 million contract last summer as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. The talented guard has undergone two surgeries to repair his meniscus since entering the league in 2017 and hasn’t played more than 63 games in a season.
For Chicago’s investment to pay off, Ball has to get healthy this summer and stay on the court in 2022-23.
Ball Has to Prove He Can Stay Healthy
Ball’s impact on the floor has never been an issue. He has career averages of 11.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 252 games with the Lakers, Pelicans and Bulls.
However, Ball has proven to be injury-prone and that has to be concerning to the Bulls since they gave him a lot of money to be their franchise point guard next to DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.
Per Johnson, the Bulls’ projected closing lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic posted a net rating of +12.5 in their 95 minutes together this season and a defensive rating of 96.0. Chicago could have made some noise in the playoffs if Ball didn’t hurt his knee, but now it appears the team could get bounced in the first round.
If the season ended today, the Bulls would face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. The Bucks are not only 13-6 against the Bulls since 2017-18, but they also swept them this season.
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