Bulls guard Lonzo Ball hopes to avoid surgery for right wrist sprain
As Bulls guard Lonzo Ball approached a group of reporters, the first words out of his mouth perfectly described his predicament: “Can’t catch a break,” he said.
Ball suffered a right wrist sprain in the first quarter of Monday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies when he went for a steal and tried to brace his fall.
Ball was wearing a brace as he addressed the media. Doctors told Ball to hold it still for 10 days and let the swelling subside before a revaluation. Ball said the injury is between a Grade 1 and 2 sprain.
“They were saying that if I play on it right now while it’s still swollen, it could get to a Grade 3, and that would require surgery,” Ball said. “Trying to avoid that, obviously. Let the swelling go down and hopefully tape it up and get back to it.”
The play appeared to happen after Ball shot a three-pointer that turned into a transition opportunity for the Grizzlies. Ball tried to steal a pass intended for forward Jake LaRavia and came down on the wrist. The injury is the latest setback for Ball, who suffered three injuries to his left knee.
Despite feeling some discomfort at halftime, Ball continued playing on Monday through the pain. He didn’t think much of the injury because his “adrenaline was going.”
“Just taped it up and kept playing,” Ball said. “Didn't think it was going to be this bad, but hopefully I can get over it quickly.”
The Bulls will again be without Ball’s services, just as he seemed to be getting his rhythm back. Limited by a minutes restriction, Ball played a season-high 18 minutes on Monday with six assists and delivered two big three-pointers that helped the Bulls complete a 20-point comeback. He had been playing in four four-minute stretches with the hope he could ramp up from there.
Upping his minutes allowed coach Billy Donovan to experiment by having him play with guard Josh Giddey, giving the lineup two high-level playmakers. Despite injuries taking away some of Ball’s athleticism and lateral quickness, he can still be a productive part of a high-producing offense with his high IQ and shooting.
Ball’s instinctive playmaking is what the Bulls missed when he was injured. His ability to process quickly and whip passes to the right person is subtle but helps keep the offense moving. He was producing in the connecting role; three of his six assists on Monday were in the fourth quarter. Ball allowed guard Zach LaVine to thrive in an off-ball role because he can deliver backdoor passes on the money.
The Bulls were a plus-23 in Ball’s 47 minutes this season, his first NBA action since January 2022. He also had the highest assist-to-turnover ratio on the team (2.67) while averaging 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds over three games.
It’s a blow for Ball and the Bulls as they have to decide how to compensate for his absence. Guard Dalen Terry brings a certain defensive tenacity, but he’s neither the shooter nor playmaker that Ball is. Guard Ayo Dosunmu loves to play in transition, but his shot hasn’t fallen yet this season (15% from three before Wednesday's game). There’s no one-to-one Ball replacement on the roster, but the Bulls will continue to launch threes and play at a breakneck pace.
Ball’s return was one of the more positive stories in the NBA. But now the team must play its high-octane style without him.
“It was not even a freak injury; it's just something that happened,” Ball said.