Lonzo Ball to Trae Young: I Feel Bad About Injury, Bulls Are 'Perfect Team' Around Me

Chicago Bulls star Lonzo Ball lamented the impact his knee injuries have had on the team given how well things were going when he first got hurt.

"It's gonna be a big what-if for me," he said on Trae Young's From the Point podcast. "I feel bad just for the GMs because I feel like they made the perfect team around me and I felt like that was the most I've ever been involved in an organization.

"I finally got the perfect team that I felt like could fit my game and play my way."

Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists to open the 2021-22 season. His two-way contributions were vital to a Bulls squad that owned the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Through Jan. 14, 2022—the last time he stepped on the court—Chicago ranked eighth in net rating (2.7), a big jump from finishing 20th (minus-1.1) in 2020-21, per NBA.com.

The Bulls have had a Lonzo Ball-sized hole in their backcourt ever since he went down, and they've been unable to adequately account for his absence.

One could argue a team that leaned so heavily on Ball in the first place may not have had a high ceiling. He's simply not on the same level as the singular stars who can lift their team to title contention.

However, Chicago's hot start two seasons ago represented a proof of concept. The front office had discovered a winning formula of sorts and built a roster that was far better than the franchise had had for years.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, Ball's persistent knee trouble might have closed the window on achieving much of note with the current core of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević.

Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey listed Chicago at No. 23 in his most recent offseason power rankings and projected a 37-45 finish in 2023-24.

Ball confirmed to Young he'll miss the entirety of the upcoming campaign after undergoing a third knee surgery in March, and the focus instead is on getting him to a point where he can simply resume his career down the road.