Chicago Bulls players who have exceeded preseason expectations: Lonzo Ball
The pairing between Lonzo Ball and the Chicago Bulls seemed destined as early as last year’s February trade deadline when it was reported the two parties had expressed interest in a potential natural fit. As fate would have it, Lonzo would eventually don a Bulls uniform just one season later.
Ball signed a four-year, $80 million and was largely considered one of the biggest steals of the offseason. As a player who has made great strides towards becoming a well-rounded player, this appeared to be a great investment on all fronts and marked yet another victory for the new front office pairing of Arturas Karnisovas and Marc Eversley.
We’re just 16 games into the season thus far, but it’s clear Lonzo has not finished making improvements to his game. While his three-point shot had been gradually improving through the first four seasons of his career, it’s enjoyed a dramatic uptick in Chicago. Lonzo is currently 10th in the NBA in three-point makes per game while also hitting them at the second-highest percentage of all players in the top 10.
Ball’s playmaking in transition has also allowed the Bulls to play an uptempo game that maximizes the talents of high-flying teammates such as LaVine, Caruso, and Derrick Jones Jr. As the primary ballhandler in the halfcourt, Lonzo’s confidence has increased as a creator and allowed co-stars LaVine and DeMar DeRozan be an effective cutter off-ball.
Lonzo is still far from the best slasher, but given his track record of working on his weaknesses, it’s fair to assume the recently turned 24-year-old will continue adding to his arsenal. When compared to other similarly valued guards in last year’s free agency, Ball may just end up being a huge steal for Chicago.