Lonzo Ball

After missing the previous two years due to ongoing knee injuries, Ball appears to be on the cusp of returning to the NBA. Having last played in January of 2022, Ball will attempt to get back on the court after missing almost three years of basketball. While this is great news for Ball, the Bulls are likely to take extra caution when allocating his minutes. There is almost no way he plays both halves of back-to-back sets, and his playing time could be in the low teens for the majority of the season. Before his injury, Ball was playing some of the best basketball of his career, providing Chicago with an elite on-ball defensive option while operating as the primary floor general. However, a lot has changed since he last played, with the Bulls now on a different trajectory. They acquired Josh Giddey during the offseason, while both Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have developed to the point where they require meaningful minutes on a nightly basis. Taking into consideration the severity of the injury, there is almost no way Ball warrants any attention outside of very deep leagues.

After two seasons with the Lakers and two with the Pelicans, Ball donned a new jersey again last season, joining the Bulls. The point guard compiled the best stats of his career in terms of per-game production. He ranked 25th in eight-category per-game fantasy value behind averages of 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.1 threes and 2.7 combined steals-plus-blocks. However, the persistent theme of Ball's career reared its ugly head again -- injuries. Ball underwent surgery for a torn meniscus Jan. 28. Despite initial reports that he could return as soon as six weeks, he never ended up playing again, ultimately logging only 35 games. Updates on his health this summer haven't been particularly encouraging. He underwent another surgery in late September and isn't expected to return until the calendar flips to 2023. The Bulls seem to be hedging their bets, signing veteran Goran Dragic during the offseason to bolster an already-deep backcourt of Ball, Alex Caruso, Ayo Dosunmu, Zach LaVine and Coby White. Ball possesses clear upside if he can stay healthy, but the chances of that seem slim. At some point, drafting him is worth the risk in a deep enough league, but getting 40 games out of Ball would be fantastic.

Putting aside Ball's struggles to stay healthy -- he appeared in 55 games last season and has played in just 217 games in his first four years -- the 2020-21 campaign was his best from a per-game fantasy value perspective. The point guard ranked 46th behind a career-high 14.6 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 2.1 combined steals-plus-blocks. He also posted a career-high true shooting percentage (55.1) behind splits of 41/38/78. The biggest stride in Ball's game continues to be his three-point shooting. He's increased his efficiency from deep every season, and he drilled 3.1 triples per game last year. During the offseason, he was part of a sign-and-trade to the Bulls, with the 23-year-old inking a four-year, $85 million deal with Chicago. He's now part of a revamped and competitive Bulls team that includes Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic. Ball will be able to take some playmaking responsibilities away from LaVine, and he'll continue to be an off-ball threat as a three-point shooter. Ultimately, fantasy managers shouldn't expect a dramatic statistical change from Ball. He's a relatively passive offensive player who can play floor general in the halfcourt and coordinate fast breaks. He's also one of the best defenders, if not the best defender, on the Bulls. Managers unafraid of Ball's injury history have justification to draft him in the fourth or fifth round, though it might be possible to get him later. If he stays healthy, he'll be a steal after the fifth round.

After two seasons in Los Angeles that were focused more on his family and his health than his play, Ball found renewed success in his first year with the Pelicans and produced arguably the best season of his three-year career. Ball played a career-high 63 games (of a possible 72) while averaging 32.1 minutes per tilt. In that time, the UCLA product put up a career-high 11.8 points to go with 7.0 dimes, 6.1 boards and 1.4 steals. His well-rounded play didn't just stop with counting numbers, as he saw marked improvement in his shooting -- something that was an issue for him in Los Angeles. Ball still shot just 40.3 percent from the floor, but his biggest improvements came in free-throw shooting, which improved from 41.7 percent to 56.6 percent, and three-point shooting, which improved from 32.9 percent to 37.5 percent. His increased usage led to more turnovers, but Ball was able to produce consistent numbers across most statistical categories. As the floor general of a fast-paced and high-scoring offense, Ball is in a good position to return top-75 value for fantasy managers in 2020-21 if he can stay healthy.

Ball once again struggled to remain healthy during the 2018-19 campaign, appearing in just 47 games for the Lakers. It's worth noting that he converted on 48.2 percent of his two-point field-goal attempts, which is an improvement from a season ago (42 percent), though his 3-point shooting remained relatively the same, hitting on 32.9 percent of his shots from distance. He finished the year averaging 9.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 30.3 minutes per contest -- all down from his rookie season. However, the former second-round pick out of UCLA figures to be ready to roll to begin the upcoming season, and he'll take the court with a whole new group of talent. After being traded to New Orleans in mid-June, the Pelicans went out and drafted Zion Williamson, and they were also able to draw in Derrick Favors and J.J. Redick to add to the mix. While a promising starting five certainly bodes well for Ball, it remains to be seen what kind of scoring impact he'll have when sharing the court with Zion and others, especially when considering Ball's shooting struggles during his first two years in the league. The good news is that he looks to be the starter for New Orleans at point guard, so the minutes should be plentiful, assuming he's able to avoid injury. Nonetheless, many questions surround Ball heading into his third season.

Ball’s first year in the league was ultimately underwhelming, but was filled with positives to build upon. The second overall pick in 2017, Ball was a notably good shooter at UCLA despite unconventional form, hitting 2.2 threes per game at 41.2 percent. However, that failed to translate during his rookie campaign, as he shot just 30.5 percent from distance (and 36.0 percent overall). Ball was also atrocious from the free-throw line, making just 32 of his 71 attempts. However, the other aspects of his game shined through and allowed him to remain Fantasy relevant. Despite playing just 52 games due to injury, the 6-foot-6 point guard was able to rack up 13 double-doubles and two triple-doubles, averaging 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds. Ball also played impressive defense, racking up a combined 2.5 steals/blocks per contest. The addition of LeBron James to the Lakers complicates things for Ball. he'll presumably asked to play off-ball more often -- a role that will be difficult for him to succeed in if he can't improve his shooting. Plus, Rajon Rondo was added to the mix, giving Ball more competition for playing time. How early Ball should be drafted is heavily contingent on Fantasy owners’ belief in his ability to become a better shooter.

In what’s widely regarded as one of the best rookie classes in recent memory, Ball, who the Lakers selected with the No. 2 overall pick in June, is the most talked-about and polarizing prospect, often due to matters not pertaining to basketball. When evaluating Ball purely from an on-court perspective, however, his preternatural court vision, solid length (6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan) and sound decision making make him an ideal prototype for a franchise point guard, if not a perennial All-Star. The Lakers clearly recognized as much, trading away the No. 2 overall pick from 2015 and presumptive point guard of the future, D’Angelo Russell, to the Nets prior to the draft to clear the way for Ball to take the reins of the offense. In his lone season at UCLA, Ball averaged 14.6 points (on 55.1 percent shooting), 7.6 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 35.1 minutes per contest, displaying a level of efficiency that was jaw dropping even for the college level. Ball’s unorthodox jump shot mechanics raise concern that his accuracy from the perimeter may be an issue at the next level when he’s guarded by longer defenders, with his 38.2 and 23.8 percent marks from the field and 3-point line, respectively, in the Las Vegas Summer League adding credence to that notion. Even so, Ball still wowed observers with his playmaking skills and claimed MVP honors with averages of 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals in his six games, illustrating the major impact he can have even when his shot isn’t consistently falling. Once the regular season arrives, Ball will have more established scoring threats in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jordan Clarkson, Brook Lopez and Julius Randle to take the pressure off, allowing the rookie to focus on what he does best: sparking the transition game and setting up teammates for open looks. It may not take long for Ball to establish himself as a regular threat to go off for a triple-double on any given night, and if he shows improvement with his shooting as the campaign unfolds, he could very well finish the year as the Lakers’ top Fantasy contributor.