Billy Donovan doesn’t look at it as Lonzo Ball pushing his luck.
The Bulls coach made that very clear on Saturday, pointing out all the obstacles and communication that goes into the decision making to expand Ball’s playing time.
It’s more of an inch-by-inch process, and one that Ball, himself, has a lot of say in.
It helps that Ball is no longer dealing with uncertainty, signing a two-year, $20 million extension with the Bulls two weeks ago, but there is still uncertainty with his surgically repaired left knee. After all, Ball is the only professional athlete to come back from that type of surgery, which he described as a “complete knee replacement.”
But even in the last five-game sample size he has watched his minutes go from 23 to 30 in the overtime loss in New York.
He still hasn’t played in back-to-back games, but for a player that began the season with his minutes restriction at 16, it’s been quite the climb.
“Certainly, with as much as he’s worked to get back to the point he’s at now, I was really encouraged when the year started and it was, ‘OK, 16 minutes,’ “ Donovan said, when asked if there is a ceiling on how they want to play Ball the final six-plus weeks of the regular season. “To his credit, and the medical staff’s credit, he’s up to 28, which is great. So I don’t want to put a limit on that it can’t increase, just like I don’t want to put a limit on that he can’t ever play in back-to-backs.”
Ball and Donovan won’t have to be overly concerned with the back-to-back edict very much the rest of this season, since the Bulls only have two remaining. How far the minutes can build up to, however, is where it will get interesting.
“That would be a medical decision with Lonzo, but I’m optimistic that as the season goes on maybe his minutes can’t bump up a little more,” Donovan said. “I’m just waiting to hear from them, and Lonzo has been pretty good communicating on how he feels after games and where his minutes are at.”
Shoulder shrug
Ayo Dosunmu missed the game against the Suns, dealing with a left shoulder issue that has flared up before for the guard.
That’s also why there was no definite timetable given for a return.
“It’s not the first time it’s happened,” Donovan said. “He gets better but sometimes it takes him a little time. He has to do some strengthening and exercise to maintain the stability in the shoulder. He’s got an instability in his shoulder that he’s got to stay on top of and sometimes what happens is it gets inflamed, it gets irritated, and this is just a maintenance program for him, and it has been for a while.
“If he ends up moving a certain way, getting hit a certain way, the instability flares up and what they need to do is get it calmed down.”
The protocol
Reserve big man Jalen Smith had to be helped off the court in New York on Thursday, and was instantly put in the league’s concussion protocol.
He still wasn’t out as of the weekend.
“I think he is feeling better, but he has to go through the tests of getting on a bike at first and then ramp up to being on the court, and he’s got to pass all those metrics,” Donovan said. “So I don’t know what the timeline would be on that.”
According to Donovan, Smith was still having trouble staying in rooms when the lights were on, so it could be a bit before he’s back.