Lonzo Ball had a slightly different role with the New Orleans Pelicans over the past two seasons. Now that he's with the Chicago Bulls, though, he is expected to return to his traditional point guard role.
The new Bulls guard said so as much during the NBA Media Day, highlighting that he has already talked to head coach Billy Donovan about the change. For what it's worth, the 23-year-old shifted to an off-ball role with the Pelicans as Zion Williamson took more playmaking duties. It is also the reason why his spot-up shooting developed, resulting to a career-high 37.8 percent shooting from three in 2020-21.
Lonzo Ball said in talking to Billy Donovan, he plans on getting back to being more of a traditional point guard after his role changed somewhat in New Orleans last season.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 27, 2021
Since Lonzo Ball will be playing with premier scorers like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, as well as a post-up threat in Nikola Vucevic, his playmaking abilities will certainly be more needed for the Bulls. Of course his shooting gives an extra benefit for Chicago, but he would need to focus on creating for his teammates and dissecting the defense to bring more scoring opportunities for his team.
Ball has all tools of an elite playmaker, with his passing ability his main weapon. His ability to push the tempo in transition and make halfcourt plays will be equally important for the Bulls as well and could be the key to elevate their offense around Zach LaVine even more.
It remains to be seen how the change will affect his offensive and overall production, but the Bulls are looking scary with Ball orchestrating the attack.
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