Coach Billy Donovan said yesterday that Lonzo Ball was ramping up his rehab, with no set date to return to the line up. “With the amount of time he had off to kinda let things calm down, he’s not going to go ‘0-to-60, They’ll be each day a little bit more to see how he does. But that process is going to start now just to see how he responds.” This is good news for Bulls fans as we all hope to have a complete line-up by playoff time.
Lonzo is truly an integral part of this team’s success, and that has been apparent in the second half of the season. Getting Ball back along side Caruso really helps to bolster our defense, but his presence is also a massive contribution on the offensive end. The added defense helps lead to getting easy buckets in transition, and we’ve all see his passing ability on the break. The defensive strategy against the Bulls as of late has been to trap DeMar DeRozan, and it has been somewhat successful. Our option when they trap is to get the ball to the open player near the free throw line, generally this is Vucevic, who is a great passer for a big man. In last night’s game against the Lakers, we saw Caruso flash to this spot on the floor to receive the ball, and he found a cutting Patrick Williams, who finished it off with a dunk. My point is, that Lonzo bringing the ball up the court allows DeMar to work more off the ball, but it also allows Lonzo (our best play maker) to be the one receiving the ball and making the right pass if they choose to trap, which is dangerous. Lonzo also adds another 3 point shooter to the floor which we have desperately needed. Getting Lonzo Ball back on the court forces teams to change the way they defend the Bulls. It creates more space for everyone on the court, and Lonzo has the ability to find players and make difficult passes look easy. His vision and playmaking would be a major relief for our offense, and we wouldn’t need to consistently rely on DeMar to put the team on his back late in games. Throw in his defense on top of all of that, and I think the Bulls could really turn some heads and prove some of the doubters wrong. *Cough* Ryen Russillo *Cough*.
In the meantime, the Bulls need Vooch to make good, smart passes from that pocket when DeMar gets doubled, and our shooters need to knock down 3’s and cut to the basket. 5 games left in the regular season, let’s hope to finish strong, secure our spot in the playoffs, and get our lineup back to full strength.
You can find me on Twitter @GreNBA_ let me know if you think Lonzo can be the difference maker for the Bulls. Can the Bulls be a threat to take down the East if they are at full strength? As always, thanks for reading, and have a great weekend, this is All Net!
Jacob Grenemeier
April 1st, 2022
Chicago Hoop Heads 