Lonzo Ball's return for Bulls is stuck in neutral this week
A coach always will find minutes for point guard Lonzo Ball.
Billy Donovan made that clear Thursday when discussing Ball’s expected but still murky return.
Ball (right wrist), who has missed the Bulls’ last 13 games, went through a full practice and five-on-five scrimmage Wednesday with no setbacks, but that doesn’t mean he’s pain-free.
Ball told reporters that the discomfort in the wrist likely will remain for the rest of the season. The key is finding a level of comfort so Ball can feel as close to normal as possible.
“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 that 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.”
The Bulls next play Saturday, hosting the Mavericks, then head to Oklahoma City. A return against the Thunder seems like the best-case scenario at this point.
Either way, Donovan needs to figure out how to get minutes — likely restricted ones, at that — for Ball in a backcourt that has been playing its best ball of the season.
“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
Rookie Matas Buzelis didn’t need to introduce himself to Lakers coach JJ Redick, even when he scored 31 in Los Angeles last week.
Buzelis appeared on Redick’s podcast, “The Young Man and the Three,” in the summer of 2023 — when Redick was still a media personality — and made a great impression. Buzelis’ career-high total just validated what Redick already thought about the 11th overall pick.
“He’s really talented,” Redick said. “You can tell that he’s spent years in the lab. He’s got all the fancy 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.”
A big Giddey fan
White has received a lot of praise for his recent performances, including back-to-back Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards, but he credited Josh Giddey’s play and the chemistry they’ve been building as major factors 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 — him breaking down the defense and getting to the lane, getting fouled and creating for others. Playing with him is fun.”