The Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball will not be expected to participate in training camp and is doubtful to play at the start of the 2022-23 NBA Season. Somebody was going to release the bad news soon enough, but Bulls fans shouldn’t be worried about Lonzo Ball missing more time. Here are some reasons to stay calm about the Lonzo Ball situation.
Give Ball some time to rest
Lonzo Ball has recovered from a left knee injury. But the issue is the bone bruise. Bone bruise injuries are challenging to overcome, but resting is the best way to treat bone bruises. The Lonzo Ball injury is similar to Los Angeles Lakers, Kendrick Nunn, which caused him to miss an entire season. But Nunn got hurt on October 10th, 2021, in a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns. Advance one year, Nunn will be ready by the season opener in mid-October.
So what can the Bulls learn from Nunn’s situation? Give Lonzo Ball a full year to recover since the bone bruise injury occurred. Ball suffered the left knee injury/bone bruise on January 14th against the Golden State Warriors. That would mean Ball wouldn’t come back until mid to late January.
Its not how you start, Its how you finish
What fans remember most is how teams finish the season, not how well you started the season. The perfect example is the Boston Celtics from last season. Entering the new year, Boston sat at a 17-19 record and looked like a team going to play in the Play-In tournament. But instead, the Celtics finished the season, winning 34 out of their last 48 games in the 2021-22 season. Unfortunately, Boston lost in the 2022 NBA Finals. But the Celtics are favorites to win the 2023 Championship.
If Lonzo Ball returns in January, Chicago will have time to get hot and finish the 2022-23 season strong. After the Lonzo Ball injury, on January 14th, Chicago finished the season with a 19-23 record and fell from the best record down to the sixth-best team in the Eastern Conference.
More Minutes for Ayo and Goran
Heading into the 2022-23 season, who will get the start at PG for the Bulls? No Lonzo Ball will mean more minutes for point guards Ayo Dosunmu and recent addition Goran Dragic. You can argue for both players, but that argument is for another day. Last season, the Bulls coaching staff chose to start Dosunmu over Coby White. In the first game after the Ball injury occurred, Dosunmu had 21 points and ten assists in a 112-108 loss against the Boston Celtics. He finished his rookie season averaging 8.8 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 77 games.
But don’t forget about Goran Dragic. The 36-year-old is ready to hoop at any time. Earlier today, Dragic dropped 20 points in Slovenia’s 93-93 loss against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He provides more NBA and playoff experience. When Dragic signed with the Bulls, he got promised to receive 20-25 minutes per game. You could make arguments to start Coby White or Alex Caruso. But many Bulls fans would agree on the top two options being Goran Dragic and Ayo Dosunmu.
Follow us on Twitter!!!!
Check out other Posts!!
Leave a comment