Matas Buzelis

Lonzo Ball (wrist) said he won’t need surgery.

Ball said he is excited for his “first normal offseason in awhile.” He has been plagued by numerous injuries but was able to play 35 games during the 2024-25 season after not playing at all during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Ball was sidelined for all of March and April, but since he won’t require any procedure during the offseason, he should be ready to go for training camp.

Josh Giddey said his hand injury will be a “non-issue” next season.

Giddey said his plan is simply to rest it. Prior to Wednesday’s play-in loss, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Giddey had a torn muscle in his right hand. He played through it and delivered 25 points and 10 rebounds in Chicago’s final game of the season. The injury shouldn’t be a factor in Giddey’s quest for a new contract this summer as he enters restricted free agency. There is a good chance that he remains with the Bulls. That would be great news for his fantasy value as he is coming off the best season of his career.

Kevin Huerter recorded 10 points (3-of-7 FGs, 3-of-3 FTs), one rebound, one assist, two steals, one block and one three-pointer in 32 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Heat.

“Red Velvet” provided limited production in Wednesday’s defeat, which included a 1-of-4 night from beyond the arc. The three “stocks” were solid, but Chicago needed more from Huerter on a night when the team scored a season-low 90 points. After being traded to the Bulls in early February, Huerter was a 10th-round player in nine-cat formats, spending considerable time in the starting lineup. However, those starts were made possible by injuries to Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones. Huerter has one season remaining on his contract and should be in the rotation. However, a healthy Ball likely pushes him to the bench, especially if the Bulls re-sign Josh Giddey.

LeBron James shot 8-of-18 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Timberwolves, scoring 19 points with five rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks and one three-pointer in 36 minutes.

Jaden McDaniels finished Saturday’s Game 1 win over the Lakers with 25 points (11-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and three three-pointers in 33 minutes.

McDaniels’ aggressiveness on the offensive end was one of the key factors in Minnesota’s Game 1 victory. He didn’t hesitate to make plays on that end of the floor, and the result was a highly efficient outing in Los Angeles. McDaniels scored 20 points or more 12 times during the regular season, most recently doing so in a March 16 win over the Jazz. Nights like Saturday have not been the norm for Jaden, so it would be unsurprising if his production took a hit in Game 2 on Tuesday. However, his performance in Game 1 has given the Lakers something to think about when they draw up their defensive game plan for Tuesday.

Tobias Harris accounted for 25 points (8-of-13 FGs, 5-of-5 FTs), six rebounds, two blocks and four three-pointers in 40 minutes in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Knicks.

Saturday’s series opener was a tale of two halves for Harris. Shooting 7-of-10 from the field, he scored 22 points in the first half. Harris would only attempt three shots after halftime, going silent as the Pistons went from leading by eight at the end of the third quarter to trailing by 13 due to a 21-0 Knicks run. While the overall line was encouraging, the Pistons need a more consistent Harris if they’re to win this series. Game 2 is on Monday night.