Bulls guard Lonzo Ball said at media day Monday that he’s about halfway through the rehab process after his cartilage-transplant surgery and that there’s no set timeline on when he’ll be back.
‘‘The surgery was a really big surgery,’’ Ball said. ‘‘We all came together with a plan moving forward, and it’s not really, I wouldn’t say, a set timeline. But I pretty much have this whole year to get as healthy as possible and [get] ready to go next season.’’
As the Bulls held their camp-opening news conferences, much was made about improving their offense, which ranked 24th in the league last season. Coach Billy Donovan referred to the Bulls’ low volume of three-point shots as an indicator of their struggles but also noted they needed to get to the rim more frequently.
‘‘We’ve got to be able to make quicker decisions, quite honestly,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Some of that is being ready to play. When you’re a gifted offensive player, a lot of times when the ball comes to you, you kind of hold it and size [up] the defense. A lot of times, we’ve got to be better at making what I would say [are] more decisive, quicker decisions.’’
The Bulls finished 26th in free-throw attempts, were the only team in the NBA not to average 30 three-point shots a game and grabbed the third-fewest offensive rebounds in the league last season.
Center Nikola Vucevic said he has had conversations with Donovan about how to improve the offense and how the offense last season was dependent on Ball returning, which didn’t happen because of his recurring knee issues.
‘‘We kind of were thinking about, ‘Oh, when Lonzo comes back, you know it’ll be different,’ ’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘I think this year we have a clearer picture. He’s not going to be back, and we have to find other ways to run our offense without, you know, putting so much pressure on Zach [LaVine] and DeMar [DeRozan] handling the ball, scoring and doing everything.’’
The Bulls miss Ball’s ability to grab a rebound and throw a kick-ahead pass to ignite a fast break. They were 18th in the league in pace last season and 21st in how often they were in transition, according to data from NBA.com.
‘‘Just coming down, just moving the ball around the perimeter with no purpose, doesn’t really do much, either,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘A lot of the ball movement is predicated on how well we can force a team to rotate or put two on the ball.’’
As the Bulls look to improve their offense, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said there will be a training camp battle among Coby White, Jevon Carter and Ayo Dosunmu for the job as the starting point guard.
Each brings a skill the Bulls lack. Carter brings three-point shooting and defense; White plays at a breakneck pace and can knock down shots, albeit in streaks; and Dosunmu brings rugged defense. The winner of this battle also must understand how to get the Bulls’ trio of big-money players — LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic — to play cohesively.
The Bulls will miss Ball’s impact on the court. He not only eases the pressure on LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic, but he also is an excellent three-point shooter and his passing, cutting and basketball IQ were integral to the Bulls’ offensive success when he was healthy.
Still, he left no doubt about his future plans.
‘‘I definitely plan on playing again,’’ Ball said. ‘‘I’m only 25 years old, and the rehab process has been going well so far. No setbacks. So for me, it’s just keeping my head up. Just keep doing the work.’’
