Lonzo Ball has a different set of gears than most on the offensive end.
For the Bulls point guard there’s playing fast, and then really fast.
Either way, he often appreciates anyone mashing the R2 turbo button on the game controller.
And while the Bulls went 4-0 in the preseason and begin the regular season Wednesday night in Detroit poised to do some damage in the transition game, there are some growing pains that are still being felt out and discussed when it comes to Ball and his teammates.
A nice problem to have.
“Yeah, I think the effort is there obviously,’’ Ball said on Tuesday, when asked if his new roster was playing fast enough for him so far. “But we’ve still got a long way to go. There are times where I’m a little ahead of the play when guys are trailing or vice versa, and I just think we’ve got to look at film, point that out, and just make a more conscious effort to get down the court faster.’’
Because in Ball’s world there’s not really such a thing as playing too fast. Whether he’s the one attacking the opposing defense and putting it on its heels or he’s using his strength as a high-outlet specialist, the idea is getting into the offense as quickly as possible to not only keep the defense from matching up the way it wants, but to put his better players in one-on-one situations.
“I think that’s going to come with time and just playing together, getting more games,’’ Ball said. “We’ve only played four games together and they didn’t really count. Especially for guys like DeMar [DeRozan] and Zach [LaVine], if they can get ahead and have one-on-one situations it’s going to work all day.’’
First things first. The hope is it works against the Pistons in the opener.
There’s no doubt that the Bulls want to play fast this season. “Showtime” – Midwest version. Quite the opposite from the end of last season.
The run game came to a screeching halt after the deadline, thanks to the acquisition of Daniel Theis to go along with Nikola Vucevic. That’s why when the front office wanted to give the roster an offseason facelift, adding athletic guys who can play with pace was a priority.
However, there’s also a happy medium in Billy Donovan’s world. There’s a time to push and a time to slow it down. That’s what Ball will be looking to learn.
“Lonzo instinctively on made baskets does a really good job of getting high outlets,’’ Donovan said. “Sometimes when that high outlet comes, if hypothetically Vooch has inbounded it or we have two guys behind him, it’s hard to play at that breakneck speed because there’s nobody out there in front of you.
“There are some times where the ball gets inbounded and [Ball’s] looping and there are guys down the floor and we can do that. There’s a balance there for him where he’s seeing the floor and saying, ‘OK, I need to let these guys flow in.’ And then there’s also a responsibility to Lonzo from the other guys to get down the floor as well.’’
Problems that Donovan feels will iron themselves out, especially with how well this roster has been communicating throughout camp.
The way Donovan sees it, it’s a long journey for this team.
Ball’s hope is it is one played in fifth gear more often than not.
“I have a good understanding of everybody’s game right now,’’ Ball said. “I think we have a positive outlook on everything. This is a brand new situation for a lot of guys, including myself, but I think we had a great training camp, pretty good preseason, and I like I said we’re all excited to play [in Detroit].’’
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October 20, 2021 at 02:24AM
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Ready or not, point guard Lonzo Ball is pushing for a Bulls run - Chicago Sun-Times
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