By Jordan Long.
The Chicago Bulls sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 28-15 record. They are technically tied with the Miami Heat. The only difference is the win percentage between the two. Chicago is at .651 while Miami has a .644 winning percentage. The Bulls, though, could be without point guard Lonzo Ball for a while.
Ball is their starting point guard, appearing in 35 games, scoring 13 points per game. He has been able to make a 3-point shot, shooting 42.3% from the arc. He can set up his teammates for them to score, averaging 5.1 assists per game.
On the defensive end, Ball guards his man which can force them to have a tough look at the basket. Sometimes those shots will go in even with perfect defense. Other times those are misses. Ball will also box out to grab a rebound to start fast break opportunities at 4.4 defensive rebounds per game. Ball steals the basketball averaging 1.8 steals per game.
Ball could be shut down for a while. He needs to decide if he wants to have arthroscopic surgery on his left knee for a meniscus tear. Ball is weighing his options with doctors and his agent, hoping that it can heal on its’ own. If he needs surgery, Ball could be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks.
According to ESPN.com, Head Coach Billy Donovan said, “A lot is gonna depend on how he responds to the treatment of what he’s getting right now. That’s why there’s a reason to get him back as soon as possible from Memphis, because you just don’t want to waste days for any player.”
This might be a big blow to the Bulls. They are already missing Zach LaVine who has a knee injury occurring in the first quarter last Friday. No word on his return to the lineup. LaVine is averaging 24.9 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.2 assists per game before the injury.
The Bulls are still in great shape to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference despite these injuries. They have the depth on the team which will have to carry them while these two are out but Chicago should still be a top 4 team in the Eastern Conference.
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