Ball finished scoreless (0-4 FG, 0-3 3Pt) with one assist in 12 minutes in Tuesday's 118-117 preseason loss to the Bulls.
Ball came off the bench Tuesday with Donovan Mitchell running the point. Ball has said that he's going to be limited to around 20 minutes per night to open the season and that he won't play in both games of back-to-back sets, so his fantasy upside will be held in check even in the absence of Darius Garland (toe).
... See More... See Less
Cavaliers' Lonzo Ball: Coming off bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Ball will come off the bench in Tuesday's preseason game against the Bulls, Spencer Davies of SI.com reports.
Despite Darius Garland (toe) and Sam Merrill (undisclosed) being sidelined, Ball will join the second unit in Cleveland's preseason opener against his former team. The 27-year-old point guard is expected to be limited to 20 minutes per contest to begin the regular season and won't appear in both games of back-to-back sets.
... See More... See Less
Cavaliers' Lonzo Ball: Expects to see around 20 minutes
Rotowire
Ball said Monday that he's expecting to see about 20 minutes per night to open the season, according to Cavaliers reporter Danny Cunningham.
Additionally, Ball said that playing in both games of back-to-back sets will be "off the table" to begin the season. This makes a lot of sense given Ball's injury history. Ball is expected to start on Opening Night in the absence of Darius Garland (toe), but expectations as far as fantasy impact goes should be tempered.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said Tuesday that Ball (wrist) "looked great" at a workout Monday, Danny Cunningham reports.
Ball missed Chicago's final 22 regular-season games due to a sprained right wrist, but he was reportedly good to go for the majority of the offseason. Atkinson raved about Cleveland's decision to trade for Ball this summer, but he said the team will need to have a plan in place to make sure he's healthy for the playoffs. As things currently stand, Ball could be the starting point guard for Opening Night, with Darius Garland (toe) sidelined for the start of the season.
The Bulls traded Ball (wrist) to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro on Saturday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Ball will join the Cavaliers and presumably provide a spark off the bench next season. The 27-year-old guard was traded to the Bulls in August 2021 but missed significant time while recovering from three surgeries on his left knee. Ball returned to game action this past year after being sidelined during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns. However, he appeared in just 35 regular-season outings during 2024-25, averaging 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals across 22.2 minutes per game. He missed Chicago's final 22 regular-season games due to a sprained right wrist, though he's expected to have a normal offseason ahead of the 2025-26 season, according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network.
1:28
1:57
0:54
0:24
1:54
0:28
1:14
0:56
0:59
1:08
1:10
0:29
2:38
3:25
1:42
2:11
2:17
