Chicago Bulls: 2 studs, 1 dud, from closer than expected win over Magic

The lone Chicago Bulls dud from this close win over the Magic: Lonzo Ball

Was I expecting the two-way point guard Lonzo Ball to be perfect in his first game back out of a five-game stint in the league’s health and safety protocol?

No, that is absolutely not realistic right away.

I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised if he came out with an efficient and productive effort in his first night back with the Bulls out of the health and safety protocol. More likely than not, though, it will take some time for Lonzo to get his rhythm back.

Mind you it was roughly two weeks since Lonzo last played in a game for the Bulls and he is definitely a rhythm shooter that lives beyond the arc. Off-nights like this upon a return to the rotation for Lonzo are going to happen.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to not put Lonzo in the dud spot on this list when you look at his stat line for the night. He came up with just three points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field, 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, and he had no attempts from the free-throw line.

But Lonzo did give the Bulls a healthy seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals, one block, and just one turnover. That helped Lonzo still remain a +3 on the night. Lonzo still did a lot of what he does best for the Bulls in this game. It’s still good to see him contributing in other ways when his shot is off from the field and from beyond the arc.