Chicago Bulls DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball (knee) feels he will be ready for the team's opening game of the season on Oct. 23 against the New Orleans Pelicans. "I think I'll be ready for the first game for sure," Ball said during Monday's Media Day. He added that back-to-backs would be off the table for him and that there would be a minutes restriction in place. This will greatly limit Ball's fantasy production. However, it will be nice to see him back on the court after a knee injury took him out for several seasons. Ball's last NBA appearance came in January 2022.

San Antonio Spurs forward/center Zach Collins (shoulder) was cleared to participate in all basketball activities. Even better, he's anticipated to be ready for the Spurs opener in Dallas on October 24. The 26-year-old is a pivotal piece of the rotation and most recently averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 2023-24. However, he tore his labrum in April, resulting in surgery. As expected, Victor Wembanyama should see more minutes this season, likely meaning less work for Collins. Yet, the veteran will likely get more than a handful of starts in the 2024-25 campaign, so he should gain streaming attention.

Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (foot) continues to rehab his surgically repaired left foot ahead of training camp, which starts Oct. 1. Back in July, Williams told Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic that everything felt good, there wasn't any pain or swelling, and that he was running and jumping. Fast forward to August, where the Bulls met up in Miami for some voluntary workouts, and Williams was forced to stop participating after he experienced discomfort in the same foot he had surgery on. As of right now, it's unclear if he'll be ready by the start of training camp, and then the discussion turns to whether he'll be ready by the start of the regular season. Williams appeared in just 43 games last year and averaged 10.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.

Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (knee) continues to move toward a return to the National Basketball Association. The 26-year-old hasn't played since January 2022, undergoing multiple surgical procedures on his left knee, including receiving a meniscus transplant from a donor. Fortunately, he increased his workload throughout the summer, progressing to five-on-five scrimmages. Before going down with the injury, Ball had one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals. He also shot a much-improved 42.3% from deep. With that said, Ball will likely see the court sparingly once he's cleared to return. But the Bulls have a loaded backcourt featuring Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu. Zach LaVine is also still in the picture, at least for now. As a result, if Ball will have any value for fantasy managers in 2024-25, it may not come for at least a few months, meaning he won't see much attention during fantasy drafts.

According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, power forward EJ Liddell has agreed a deal with the Chicago Bulls. The 23-year-old Illinois native moves to Chicago after being released by the Phoenix Suns. The Suns waived Liddell two weeks ago after acquiring him in an offseason trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. After going 41st in the 2022 draft, Liddell tore his right ACL, delaying his NBA debut. He made his first eight appearances in the league last season with the Pelicans, averaging 2.9 minutes. The young forward has done very little in the Association, but he showed off good ability with the Birmingham Squadron in the G League, notching 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in 2023-24.