76ers' Rival Chicago Bulls Have Update on Lonzo Ball’s Timetable
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The Chicago Bulls established themselves as playoff threats in the Eastern Conference after making significant roster improvements two off-seasons ago. While DeMar DeRozan was Chicago’s biggest get two summers ago, the former New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball was the new addition that would control the Bulls’ offense.
In his first season with the Bulls, Ball averaged 13 points while draining 42 percent of his shots from the field. Not only was he draining a career-high of 42 percent of his threes, but Ball was also averaging five assists as well.
Unfortunately, a knee injury sidelined Ball for a majority of the 2021-2022 season. His debut season in Chicago lasted just 35 games.
That remains the case, too. Going into training camp ahead of the 2022-2023 NBA season, it was clear Ball would not begin the regular season with the Bulls as he was dealing with some setbacks related to the same injury.
With Chicago 22 games into the new season, Ball remains off the floor. Will that change soon? Bulls head coach Billy Donovan doesn’t inspire much hope there.
“It’s been really slow. It’s gotten better, but is he clearly without any pain? No, he’s not. He still has pain. We’re seeing the slow, gradual strides getting better, but I just don’t have any timetable of when he could even be back," said Donovan on Wednesday.
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Donovan added that Ball isn't close to the next step in his recovery. “The next step is we’ve got to get him into some contact, but we’re not even close to that,” said Donovan. (via Julia Poe from Chicago Tribune)
This season, the Bulls got off to a 9-13 start. While injuries haven’t affected them nearly as much this year, the absence of Ball is still quite concerning for Chicago’s starting unit, and the recent ten-game stretch in Chicago has left many wondering whether the Bulls can remain in the playoff picture long-term or not.
For an Eastern Conference contender such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago doesn’t pose much of a threat at the moment. Even last season, when the Bulls were thriving, the Sixers had the Bulls’ number as Philly defeated Chicago four times, extending an 11-game win streak. Ball had played in two of the four matchups against Philly last year.
In the first meeting between the Sixers and the Bulls this season in late October, the Sixers extended the multi-year win streak to 12, as Philly defeated Chicago on the road 114-109. The two teams are scheduled to meet again on January 6 in South Philly. Ball could be back in the mix by then, but it’s clearly too early to tell, as the veteran doesn’t have a timetable in place at the moment.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
