The Chicago Bulls will be going to the playoff this season but they will be missing a key player for the duration of their postseason stay. Lonzo Ball has been absent for months after undergoing meniscus surgery. It seemed only like a matter of when, not if, he would be shut down for the season. Now, the Bulls will have to endure the playoffs without one of their best defenders and playmakers.

After hoping for a return, the team officially announced that Ball would be shut down for the rest of the season. DeMar DeRozan explained that the Bulls play so much differently without Ball, per NBC Sports Chicago's K.C. Johnson.

“Man, the excitement that he brings,” DeRozan said. “He brings a different type of swagger to us when he plays. I’m pretty sure you can pinpoint that when he’s out there.”

Chicago has a record of 22-13 in the games Ball has played this season. He averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 42.3 percent from deep.

Ball played a key role with Alex Caruso in stopping opposing teams' perimeter scorers while finding shots for DeRozan and Zach LaVine. The 24-year-old continued his trend of increasing his 3-point percentage by shooting a career-best mark. The Bulls' inability to take down the best teams in the league has been exposed more since Ball's absence.

Despite the pessimism around Ball's injury, he played a huge role on a revamped Bulls team that was way better than anyone expected. This season was a big step forward, as the future looks bright in Chicago for the first time in a while.