Billy Donovan Gets Honest About Lonzo Ball: "What Could Have Been"

Last June, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls swapped Isaac Okoro and Lonzo Ball in a trade that made sense for both sides.

Ball had returned from a series of devastating knee injuries that kept him sidelined for over two-and-a-half years, but wasn't quite the same player as he was before he underwent the surgeries. It was simply the time for Ball and the Bulls to go their separate ways after four years together. Meanwhile, Okoro also needed a change of scenery, following a tough performance in the playoffs with Cleveland.

Fast forward slightly over nine months, and neither of the players was in their team's lineup when the Cavs and Bulls faced off on Thursday night. Okoro missed his sixth consecutive game with a knee injury, while Ball isn't even on an NBA roster. Cleveland shipped Ball to Utah at the trade deadline, which subsequently waived the point guard amid a disappointing season.

The subject of Ball is a somber one for the Bulls and Billy Donovan, who coached him all four years in Chicago. Along with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, Ball represents a bygone era of Bulls basketball. That quartet amounted to just one playoff victory despite the group's strong record together, largely because of Ball's injuries.

Donovan reflected on his time coaching Ball prior to Thursday's 115-110 loss to the Cavaliers, noting that he "loved" working with the former Chicago point guard.

"He was so cerebral," Donovan said in his pre-game presser. "The one thing about the way he played is, he was so selfless. That's the thing I really admired. He was unbelievable defensively; he and [Alex] Caruso at the point of attack on pick-and-roll coverages were phenomenal. He had great instinctive skills to find ways to get steals, know where to help and know what to do. Everything for him offensively was always about taking care of DeMar, taking care of Zach, taking care of Vooch, and finding those guys."

During the 2021-22 season, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 blocks and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 42.3% from deep. The Bulls started the season with a 27-13 record and held the best record in the Eastern Conference before Ball tore his meniscus, sidelining him for the rest of the season, all of 2022-23 and all of 2023-24.

Chicago went 19-23 the rest of the way and lost to the Bucks in five games in the postseason. The Bulls have not returned to the playoffs since then.

When Ball finally came back, he was a shell of his former self. The crafty point guard played in only 35 games in 2024-25, and although he averaged similar counting stats per minute, Ball could not consistently stay on the court. His shooting also plummeted to just 36.6% overall and 34.4% from deep.

Ball similarly made 35 appearances with the Cavs this season, but his shooting splits hit rock bottom. He made a career-worst 30.1% of his shots and 27.2% of his threes while averaging 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Now, without a team, Ball's NBA career could certainly be over. The former No. 2 overall pick doesn't have the speed to blow by defenders anymore and still doesn't seem to fully trust his surgically-repaired legs.

"To see him have to go through what he went through and fight to get back, and to see what he's going through now, that's tough for me," Donovan said. "It's almost like, what could have been? How good could he have really been?"

Ball's former coach added that he had "no doubt" that the guard had much more room to continue to get better, citing Ball's attention to detail, his focus and the way that he drastically improved his three-point shot.

It may seem like his NBA career is done, but Ball is still only 28 years old. If he is able to rebuild that trust in his own body again, Ball could certainly find his way onto a roster as a veteran role-player someday.