When the Chicago Bulls traveled to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, it was an upbeat tale at the Smoothie King Center. The Bulls lost by a score of 123-111, so no, they did not win. However, the game did feature point guard Lonzo Ball’s much anticipated comeback.
The soon-to-be 27-year-old, whose birthday is October 27, has been away from the basketball court for a long time. Prior to Wednesday, Ball had not played in a regular season game since January 14, 2022. After 1,013 days, Ball finally made an appearance in a significant game on Wednesday.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan is determined to do everything possible to have Lonzo Ball available for the season.
Minutes Restrictions for Bulls Guard Will Continue “For Some Time
Ball played his first regular-season game in over two and a half years during Chicago’s loss to New Orleans, appearing in 14 minutes. The 6-foot-6 guard recorded two rebounds, four assists, and five points (2-4 from the field, 1-3 from three-point range). He missed the first half of the Bulls’ back-to-back 133-122 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, but is expected to play against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Saturday.
After Ball has been out of the game for so long, Chicago is wisely taking it easy on him. He is now limited to 16 minutes every game, and it doesn’t appear like this will change anytime soon. Donovan has indicated that the minutes restriction will be in effect for some time, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun Times.
Regarding Ball’s minutes restriction, Donovan stated, “It’s going to be that way for some time.” But that doesn’t mean the minutes can’t go up; they can. However, for the time being, there will be a period of games; I’m not sure how many, but they want to assess him at that amount to see how he reacts over time.
Ball will be making a shift, but it’s better than not playing at all, no doubt. Ball averaged over 30 minutes per game in each of his first five seasons before the extended absence.
Before going back, I had three knee surgeries.
Ball had to endure a protracted and demanding rehabilitation before he could wear the Bulls uniform once more. His season was cut short after he suffered a meniscus injury to his left knee on January 14, 2022. Ball had his second knee operation at the beginning of the 2022–2023 season because he was still not feeling well. In March 2023, Ball need surgery on his left knee once more since it was still not functioning properly.
About halfway through Chicago’s 2021–22 season, Ball sustained an injury. When the injury occurred, the Bulls had a 27–13 record. During the remainder of the regular season, they only finished 19–23. Ball played one season at UCLA before entering the 2017 NBA Draft and being chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick. Before joining the Bulls, he played for the Lakers for his first two seasons and the Pelicans for his next two.
In the Chicago Bulls’ home opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, Lonzo Ball will play in front of home fans for the first time since January 2022, so he should be well rested.
Ball missed the Bulls’ 133-122 victory at Milwaukee on the opening night of a back-to-back Friday game, which was part of a predetermined strategy to gradually get him back on the floor following three surgeries on his left knee.
Two days after the Bulls’ season-opening 123-111 away loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Coby White led Chicago with 35 points.
In 14 minutes off the bench in New Orleans, Ball scored five points and dished out four assists to start his comeback. After scoring 15 points in a home defeat to Golden State on January 14, 2022, it was his first NBA game in 1,013 days.
Ball acknowledged that he supports the organization’s strategy to place him on an early minutes limit and stated that he felt good during the season opening.
“I’m just happy to be on the court,” he replied. “I want to be outside all the time. However, I must pay attention to my team and the employees and try to choose the best course of action.”
The game against the Thunder on Saturday will be the first since the teams completed a splashy offseason deal in which Alex Caruso joined Oklahoma City and Josh Giddey went to Chicago.
When the Australian was selected sixth overall in the 2021 selection, Giddey was thought of as a foundation piece for the Thunder. In Chicago’s first two away games, he showed off his versatility by scoring 31 points, pulling down 11 rebounds, and dishing out 12 assists in 55 minutes.
Caruso also made his Thunder debut away from home, assisting Oklahoma City in limiting Denver Nuggets star guard Jamal Murray to 12 points on 4-for-13 field goal shooting as the visitors won 102-87 in a surprisingly easy game.
Despite scoring only two points in the win, the defensive-minded Alex Caruso posted a plus-19 plus/minus in just 19 minutes, thanks to his effort guarding Murray, along with six rebounds and four assists.
Caruso expressed his intention to stay focused on his return, which comes as no surprise.
“I had three really good years with that team and built a lot of strong relationships, so it’ll be fun to go back,” he said. “But of course, we’re there for business and aiming to get a win.”
Last season, in their two matchups, Giddey outscored Caruso 26-18, with the Thunder winning both encounters.
In February 2022, the month following Ball’s knee injury, Chicago last defeated Oklahoma City.
In the Thunder’s victory over Denver, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 28 points and Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double of 25 points and 14 rebounds.
