Lonzo

Ball

There was some optimism that Ball would be able to return by the end of Week 4, but a recent workout revealed that he needs more time to recover. He went through a rigorous workout in New York earlier this week and is still struggling to catch passes without pain. Given the amount of time missed and his being on the back end of the Bulls’ rotation when healthy, Ball’s availability does not impact fantasy basketball.

Ball has been out since October 28, with Wednesday’s game against the Knicks being the eighth he missed. While the Bulls guard believes he won’t be out much longer, Bulls coach Billy Donovan said the Friday/Sunday timeline may be optimistic. Ball hasn’t done much more than dribble at this stage in his rehab process, so don’t expect to see him on the court Friday.

Injured in late October, Ball is approaching two weeks on the sideline. His continued absence means Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu won’t have to worry about losing minutes to another guard in the rotation. Ball should not be rostered in fantasy leagues.

Ball has another injury to worry about now. He’s been limited while easing his way back in from knee surgery and will now have to monitor his right wrist as well. There hasn’t been a sign that he’ll miss an extended period of time, though.

The Bulls have been focused on keeping Ball’s knee fresh after two years on the shelf, but it appears like he’s dealing with a new injury. There’s been no indication that Ball’s wrist injury is serious, though. Ayo Dosunmu could benefit from him missing a game or two.

Ball played 16 minutes off the bench in Saturday’s loss to the Thunder, and his workload is unlikely to change. He isn’t worth the risk in fantasy basketball until the minutes restriction increases or is removed outright.

This was the expected outcome after Ball sat out Friday’s win over the Bucks. His minutes limit is unlikely to change, with the Bulls point guard playing between 14 and 16 minutes.

Saturday’s game is the second of a back-to-back for the Bulls, who face the Bucks on Friday. Ball is not playing against Milwaukee in what is an injury-management situation. He’s on track to play Saturday, and fantasy managers should expect Ball to play 14-16 minutes, as in the opener against New Orleans.

Neither Ball nor the Bulls will rush the process, so, unsurprisingly, he will not play in Milwaukee. He played 14 minutes off the bench in Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Pelicans. Ayo Dosunmu (25 minutes vs. NOR) and Josh Giddey (30 MIN) are already in the rotation and could absorb the minutes that would have gone to Lonzo.

Ball will play in a regular season game for the first time in 33 months, and he’ll unsurprisingly see limited action in his return. Fantasy managers with available bench space can stash him as an end-of-the-bench dart throw, but he’s not a must-roster player as he works himself back into game shape.