The way to replace Lonzo Ball production

As the Chicago Bulls enter a new season, one of the big questions about this team will be how they will fare without starting point guard Lonzo Ball.

Not having Ball on the court is a major loss for the Bulls. He does so much for them: three-point shooting, helps their ability to activate the defense, open court play without equal.

With Ball sidelined, the pressure will be on Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu. Both guards had fantastic first seasons for the Bulls and helped fill the void when Ball was then out.

Caruso and Dosunmu will once again be tasked with playing heavy minutes, let’s take a look at what they both need to do to try to progress in Ball’s absence.

Defense

Ball’s defensive drop is the relatively lesser concern. Caruso and Dosunmu showed last year to be more than capable perimeter defenders. Especially Caruso, who wreaked havoc for opposing guards averaging 2.2 steals per 36 minutes. His ability to not only stay in front of his man effectively, but also drop the ball and cut passing lanes really helps Chicago’s defensive scheme.

The same goes for Dosunmu, who quickly showed he was an NBA-level defender from the start. Although he didn’t generate as many turnovers, he was still good at slowing down the sets that opposing teams executed, especially against the pick and roll. Dosunmu is good at pushing through the choices and not getting boxed in by the sifter. This helps eliminate the threat of lags for Chicago’s defenses via switches and closes the space the ball handler has whenever the Bulls decide to use drop coverage (which they’ve done a lot of the season last).

Another thing Ball brought to the table defensively was his ability to switch to multiple players, sometimes all in the same possession. His consistent assist and switching to open players helped Chicago when their defense struggled to disrupt the ball handler. Luckily, Caruso and Dosunmu are also good at changing. Caruso even held on to the position due to his positioning.

The only thing that may be a bit difficult for Caruso and Dosunmu to approach is how little rim protection Ball has provided. While Caruso has chase block in him and Dosunmu does his best to contest every shot, Ball is taller than both and can use his length to his advantage. It’s always been a big boost for the Bulls’ defense to have one of their best rim defenders also be their point guard, but now that’s no longer the case. Although not noticeable at first, the Bulls will miss Lonzo’s rim protection. Dosunmu and Caruso will have to try their best to contest rim shots, even if they come for help in the car.

Offense

This is where things can start to get a little complicated.

Lonzo offers a unique skill set in terms of being both a playmaker and someone who leads the charge for the Bulls’ three-point efforts.

Ball was second on the team in three-point percentage and led the Bulls in averaging 7.2 three-point attempts per game. While Zach LaVine also likes to throw deep with bench options like Coby White, the Bulls don’t have many players who take a lot of three-point shots.

With LaVine and DeMar DeRozan catching the eye of defenses when operating in the midrange in isolation situations, it’s critical the other Bulls are ready for the ball for catch-and-shoot opportunities. Ball was one of those guys who took advantage, which in turn helped space the floor for LaVine and DeRozan.

It’s up to Caruso and Dosunmu to take more shots from deep. Last season, Caruso attempted 4 threes by 36, while Dosunmu even less at 3.2. Caruso (33.3 3P%) and Dosunmu (37.6%) will need to improve their percentages slightly this coming season, although those attempts are a different beast, taking those shots will even stretch defenses a bit.

Then there’s the game. Lonzo has great court vision and was brilliant at finding open guys and getting them the right pass for an easy field goal. Everyone remembers the early season back alleys when the Bulls hot started to kick off the campaign.

Although DeRozan is now the Bulls’ biggest point guard per game in terms of assists, he can’t do it all alone. Other perimeter players like Caruso and Ayo will have to step in. Caruso needs to start forcing defenses to respect his offensive abilities more so he can attract players and find passing lanes. Meanwhile, for Dosunmu, it’s just another step in his progression as an NBA player. If he can make a jump in his passing ability, it will really increase his attacking ceiling as he has already shown the ability to create his own shot. Dosunmu showed good vision and ability to succeed in college, but it just wasn’t consistent enough. A likely bigger role in terms of minutes will give him plenty of opportunities to go general on the ground.

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Not having Ball is a bummer for the Bulls, there’s no getting around it. However, at least the team is very deep when it comes to guards. Caruso, Dosunmu and the recently signed Goran Dragic will replace him and fill the minutes. It won’t be an easy task on offense, but the Bulls will have to manage and hope that Dosunmu continues to improve in his game and that Caruso has another great season like the one he had last year.