One of the bigger signings for the Chicago Bulls this offseason was the former New Orleans Pelicans point guard and restricted free agent Lonzo Ball. The Bulls got the point guard of the future that the franchise seeked out this offseason, and more potentially, by adding Ball by way of a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans.
What the Bulls had to give up to the Pelicans to land Lonzo in this sign-and-trade was combo guard Tomas Satoransky, veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple, and some future draft capital. And then, the Bulls signed Lonzo down to a four-year contract worth a total of around $80 million.
This sign-and-trade was well worth it for the Bulls as head coach Billy Donovan is getting that elusive two-way point guard that can solidify this starting unit that the team needed. Last season, there was uncertainty about the future of the point guard position for the Bulls between Sato and Coby White.
It was clear by the end of last season that the Bulls wanted to find a new point guard to solidify this starting unit. And while it looked like there could still be roles for Sato and/or White with this team, only one of those two remains heading into next season.
What Ball brings to the table for the Bulls is pretty-well known from a high level at this point. He is an improved outside shooter, a tremendous facilitator, and one of the better and lengthier on-ball perimeter defenders among point guards in the NBA. But one of the more underrated parts of Lonzo’s game is his ability to play off-ball.
What Lonzo Ball will do for the Chicago Bulls off ball?
Lonzo has insane court vision, and it benefits his team in more situations than just when he’s dishing the ball out in settled halfcourt offense. His playmaking ability takes over in transition, and he’s a real threat in both catch-and-shoot situations and for continuous ball movement.
He’s got about just as good of a chance to hit a knockdown three-pointer in settled offensive situations that he does finding one of his open teammates that’s a threat to score in the blink of an eye.
Ball doesn’t really take that many unnecessary fouls as he’s averaged around two fouls per game for his career. That’s much better than the 2.6 personal fouls per game that White took last season, often unnecessarily fouling players off-ball and three-point shooters.
Lonzo also plays a lot of his minutes on the floor off-ball, so he must be effective for the Bulls. He will be starting at the one for the Bulls next season, but he won’t be the highest usage player or the primary intiator often. Those roles will likely fall to star shooting guard Zach LaVine and shooting guard/forward DeMar DeRozan.
This is where Lonzo’s game fits very well with the Bulls with how he’s able to get the ball out of his hands fast and operate effectively off ball. According to NBA advanced stats, last season Lonzo ranked in the top five in the league in terms of average seconds of possession of the ball per touch among those players that had at least 50 touches per game.
Lonzo only held the ball for a little over three seconds per touch.
And Lonzo also moves a lot off ball on offense. He ranked in the top 30 in the NBA last season both in terms of average speed on offense (around 4.75 miles per hour) and in distance traveled in miles on offense (around 1.4 per game).
Although Lonzo didn’t operate off screens or cutting to the basket too often for the Pelicans last season, he was effective when he ended up in those situations. He shot north of 50 percent from the field while moving off screens and a whopping 85.7 percent from the field off cutting plays.
On the defensive end of the floor, Lonzo’s profound impact can be felt on and off ball. Off ball, Lonzo moves very well and doesn’t lose his assignment very often. He’s one of the smartest and most capable perimeter defenders in the Eastern Conference heading into next season.
Last season, Lonzo ranked among the top 25 eligible players in the NBA in deflections per game (2.5). He also ranked in the top 10 among eligible guards in contested shots (6.6 per game). So, whether he’s defending on or off ball Lonzo tends to hold to his assignments well.
Adding Lonzo as the primary perimeter defender for the Bulls will be huge for next season. Not only will he able to add more disruption to this defense, he will be able to help make up for lapses on that end of the floor from LaVine. The Bulls will have a much better defensive duo in the starting backcourt next season between Lonzo and LaVine than Donovan had in Coby and Zach.
Lonzo and the Bulls are set to open up Training Camp on Sep. 28, in exactly two weeks. And then, the preseason slate tips off on Oct. 5 at home at the United Center against Lauri Markkanen and the Cleveland Cavaliers.