Lonzo Ball’s Honest Statement on Playing Time With Chicago Bulls

Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball opened up about his minutes.

Oct 16, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) sits on the bench during the first half of a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Lonzo Ball was one of the most popular college players in recent memory when he played for the UCLA Bruins. Not only was that attributed to his social media following he gathered in high school, but he put up the stats to earn First-Team All-American honors in his lone season.

Ball began to establish himself as one of the better young guards in the NBA despite dealing with injuries, but would see his career take a turn for the worse when he came to Chicago.

Since joining the Chicago Bulls via sign-and-trade in the 2021 offseason, Ball has appeared in just 49 games despite being in the fourth and final year of his contract. Whether it was his torn meniscus that caused him to miss two full seasons or other smaller injuries, the injury bug has changed the career of Ball.

Dec 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) passes as he is defended b y Charlotte Hornets guard Vasa Micic (22) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Now that Ball has finally been able to return to the court for Chicago, the team has been careful in managing his minutes to ensure he isn't a constant feature on the team's injury report. Factor in the plethora of guard talent Chicago has on the roster, Ball has been averaging just 18.2 minutes per contest.

Per a recent piece by Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune, Ball addressed the matter saying, "I can do a lot in 20 minutes. Obviously I want to play more, but we’ve got to be smart. It’s gonna be a slow process. I knew that. I just want to play.”

“I just want to play.”

Lonzo Ball is ready to turn the page on the comeback chapter of his career.

Talked about minutes restrictions, living pain free and (finally!) turning his attention forward to the next year and the stage of his recovery.https://t.co/1rgfSuJ7Oa

— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) December 30, 2024

Now in the final year of his contract, it's more important than ever that the injury-riddled Ball can play significant minutes to prove to teams his worth on the open market in 2025. If Chicago does decide to move off some of their talent at the position, the opportunity will only increase for the floor general.

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