A coach finds minutes for a Lonzo Ball.
The Bulls’ Billy Donovan made that very clear on Thursday, discussing the expected return of the point guard.
The details of when are what remained a bit cloudy.
Ball went through a full practice and five-on-five scrimmage on Wednesday, coming out of it with no setbacks to the injured right wrist that has now cost him the last 13 games. But that doesn’t mean he’s pain-free.
Ball made that clear, telling reporters that the discomfort in the wrist will likely stay with him the remainder of the season. It’s about finding a level of comfort where Ball can feel as close to normal as it will allow.
“I think the biggest issue for him is just the shooting,” Donovan said. “I think he feels a lot better but he’s still not quite comfortable following through and doing certain things with the wrist. There’s a discomfort there. Certainly, he was able to get into practice and do stuff, but you could see when he shoots the ball he’s flicking it a little bit. And I think he’d like to get that a little bit more under control.
“He’s worked pretty hard at the conditioning and just in speaking to him he knows he needs a little bit more in terms of five-on-five and some playing, but it was good that he got out there and got some in practice (Wednesday).”
The Bulls next play Saturday, hosting Dallas, and then head out to take on Oklahoma City. A return against the Thunder would seem like the best-case scenario at this point.
Either way, what Donovan needs to figure out is how to get Ball minutes – likely restricted ones at that – in a backcourt that has been in as good a rhythm as they’ve been in all season long.
“I get a little concerned with the minutes we’ve played some guys and the pace we’ve been playing, and with Coby (White) his minutes have been up there, so I think we need another backcourt player,” Donovan said. “I don’t know what the minutes restriction will be, but being able to plug him in and get him back into the fold will be good. Anytime you bring another player into the rotation after establishing a rhythm it’s always a little challenging. There’s always that adjustment period. But Lonzo is a team-oriented guy so whatever he needs to do for the team I’m pretty confident that he would do that.”
Special guest star
Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis didn’t need to introduce himself to Lakers coach JJ Redick, even when he dropped 31 in Los Angeles last week.
Buzelis actually appeared on Redick’s podcast “The Young Man and the Three” in the summer of 2023 –while Redick was still a media personality – and made a great impression. Buzelis’ career-high 31 just validated what Redick already felt about the 11th overall draft pick.
“He’s really talented,” Redick said. “You can tell that he’s spent years in the lab. He’s got all the fancy dribble-drop Euro-step moves. I don’t know how to describe them all. I think for him his continued improvement as a shooter will dictate his ceiling, but the talent, the work ethic, the love of the game is there.”
Giddey up
White’s received a lot of praise for his recent play – back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards were evidence of that – but White praised the play of Josh Giddey and the chemistry they’ve been building as a major factor for his numbers.
“Josh is super physical, uses his size well,” White said. “That’s the most impressive thing I’ve seen from the All-Star Break is him breaking down the defense and getting to the lane, get fouled and create for others. It’s fun playing with him.”