Bulls' Nikola Vučević Defends Lonzo Ball: 'There's a Lot of Stuff People Can't See'

Lonzo Ball's injury issues have been a blow to the Chicago Bulls but his teammates have his back.

Bulls center Nikola Vučević spoke about the effort Ball has been putting forward while he recovers from his knee issues, stating that any doubts fans have had about Ball's desire to get back out on the court are false.

"There's a lot of stuff people can't see," Vučević said, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports. "You can't see him do rehab. You can't see all the stuff that he does to get back on the court. I mean, injuries are the worst part of being a player. You want to play. You want to be out there. Our careers, they're longer now, but they're still short. And for him to lose two years, two-and-a-half, it's a big deal."

Vučević continued by saying that the Bull's offense hits an additional gear with Ball in the lineup.

"Lonzo was a big piece," Vučević said, per Fischer. "The way the team was built, he was a pass-first point guard who was willing to involve everyone and getting everyone in the right spots helped a lot. And his defense, his shooting ability, we were playing much faster with him."

Ball will miss the 2023-24 season as he recovers from a cartilage transplant in his left knee that he received in March. This is the third knee surgery Ball has had since playing his last game January 14, 2022.

This means that the Bulls will prepare for another season without him but Vučević said the planning will be easier as the severity of Ball's injury is more known this time.

"For us, it was tricky, because we kept waiting for him," Vučević said, per Fischer. "Now, at least we know he's not there. We've got some new teammates, some good signings that will help us. And so now it's on us as players to figure it out and find a way to have a better year."

The Bulls went 40-42 in 22-23 and lost in the play-in tournament.