The Chicago Bulls fell in overtime to the New York Knicks during Wednesday night’s NBA action, 128-120. They overcame a deficit that was as large as 14 points but came up just short in the end as they had no answers for Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and RJ Barrett, who scored 31, 30, and 22 points, respectively.
The Bulls’ record is now 11-16 on the season as they are currently on the outside looking in of the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Eastern Conference. They are taking a lot of losses on the court and they aren’t finding many wins off of it either.
Point guard Lonzo Ball has yet to play this season as he rehabs from a knee injury that was suffered in January. Nearly 11 months removed, despite multiple procedures, there still hasn’t been much improvement in his knee. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN painted a grim picture of his future during the pre-game show on Wednesday.
“There are no guarantees, I’m told, that [Lonzo Ball] plays at all this season. He’s rehabbing that knee now, he still has some pain in it.”
That is devastating news for Ball and the Bulls. He is a key piece of their puzzle as the starting point guard. On offense, he gets his teammates the ball in spots for them to succeed as he is an elite-level playmaker. He has improved greatly as a 3-point shooter, making teams pay when they give too much attention to Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Lonzo Ball & Chicago Bulls Updates
On defense, Ball was integral to the Bulls’ game plan. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league with his combination of length and athleticism. His ability to create turnovers with steals and deflections in the passing lanes would lead to easy buckets in transition for his teams as well.
Wojnarowski also mentioned that the Bulls are hoping to get a better picture of his availability in February. At that point, they could have already decided to head down the rebuild route as things are certainly not looking up in Chicago.
LATEST NBA NEWS: Lonzo Ball & Chicago Bulls Updates
The Bulls took a risk on Ball, hoping that the team would take a major jump up the standings. When healthy, they are a formidable opponent. Alas, there is a good chance that they will never have their full roster this season, putting the franchise in a very tough spot.
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