![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
Health will be a major factor for the Chicago Bulls next season and for one player in particular: Lonzo Ball. A stronger-than-expected start had the Bulls in first place in the Eastern Conference for much of the campaign.
But a rash of injuries left them a shell of their pre-All-Star break selves as they went 7-15 down the stretch, good for 14th in the East.
This offseason has largely revolved around Zach LaVine’s free agency. But the two-time All-Star also had arthroscopic surgery on his knee. He is expected to make a full recovery. But there was some thought that it could have an impact on his next contract.
LaVine is not the only injury concern, though, as Ball missed the final 42 games of the regular season.
Ball on Ball
Ball spoke out on his health and future, not just in Chicago, but in the NBA during a recent sitdown with Heir Company, a joint venture of Bulls legend Michael Jordan and his son, Jeffrey, on the Magic Eden marketplace.
The five-year veteran is helping to promote Heir’s “6 Rings” collection, a digital homage to the Bulls championships of old.
Ball also said that he is looking forward to helping the Bulls try for a seventh ring.
“I’m definitely excited for the future. My deal is four years here…this is only my first year so I still got time to improve and leave my print on this city and help bring a championship here….looking forward to that.”
Ball was acquired in a sign-and-trade last summer and signed a four-year, $80 million deal, per Spotrac.
But the former second-overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft also knows that he has to be on the floor to make the kind of impact the Bulls need from him.
The Bulls had the third-best offensive rating and 11th-best defensive rating, per NBA.com, before getting blown out by the Golden State Warriors in Ball’s final appearance of the season on Jan 14. That loss dropped their offensive and defensive ratings to fifth and 18th, respectively.
From that point on, they had the 20th-ranked offensive rating and the 26th-ranked defense.
Unclean Bill of Health
The mysterious case of Ball’s ailing knee has taken several twists and turns. After initially dealing with soreness, Ball’s injury turned out to be a torn meniscus that required surgery. The Bulls gave him a 6-to-8 week recovery timeline that came and went as Ball battled with persistent soreness.
The pain caused them to stop his ramp-up process during the season. He also admitted during his exit interview that his rehab was at a “standstill” due to the lingering discomfort.
Ball knows he has to get right physically.
”For me…moving forward, definitely it’s about my body. I know that I have just the skills that it takes to perform at a high level every night. Now, it’s more about just being available to do those things…I just got to get healthy and everything else falls in line from there”
There was a report from ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan that the lack of improvement in Ball’s knee was concerning for some within the organization.
Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, joined Kaplan on an episode of the “ReKap” to dispute any long-term concerns for his son’s health – this is the second procedure he has had on the same knee. The elder Ball also suggested that the Bulls mishandled the injury initially which could explain the initial diagnosis.
Bulls vice president of basketball operations, Arturas Karnisovas, also sounded confident in his exit interview that they would get Ball back to form ahead of next season.
Ball’s Impact on the Bulls
With Ball on the floor, the Bulls’ offense was 4.0 points worse per 100 possessions, per Cleaning The Glass. That was the fourth-worst mark on the team. But their defense was 8.6 points better, second-best among the Bulls. While that was by far his most positively impactful defensive season, it was his worst offensively.
But he is just a year removed from putting up a career-high in that regard as well, adding 4.4 points per 100 possessions for the New Orleans Pelicans.
At any rate, just ask his teammates what they miss when he is not out there with them.
Another year with the current core group and we could see Ball put together his best campaign yet. That is assuming he is healthy, though. While that has seemed far from a certainty to this point, the player himself remains optimistic which is as good of a sign as any.
0 Comments