Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said prior to Wednesday's 109-90 loss to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament that Jones (foot) is no longer using a walking boot, Jared Weiss of The Athletic reports.
Donovan added that Jones was unlikely to be available for the first round of the playoffs had the Bulls advanced past the Play-In Tournament, but it became a moot point once the team was eliminated with Wednesday's loss. After being acquired from the Spurs ahead of the trade deadline in February, Jones appeared in 18 games (nine starts) and averaged 11.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals in 25.2 minutes per game while shooting 57.2 percent from the field. The veteran floor general missed the final 12 games of the regular season after suffering a left midfoot sprain, but assuming he experiences no setbacks in his recovery over the summer, he should be back to full health for training camp. Jones will become an unrestricted free agent in July and will look to catch on with a team with a need for a backup point guard.
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Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Will avoid wrist surgery
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Ball said Thursday that he won't require surgery on his sprained right wrist and expects to have a normal offseason, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports.
Though Ball had missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons while recovering from three surgeries on his left knee, he noted that his knee held up "better than expected" in his return to the court in 2024-25. Instead, it was the right wrist that he first sprained in an Oct. 28 game that was the primary culprit in limiting him to just 35 appearances on the season. He missed 15 straight games after initially suffering the injury, then missed the final 22 games of the regular season plus Wednesday's 109-90 loss to the Heat in the Play-In Tournament due to a recurrence of the injury. While Ball was able to make an impact on the defensive end and as a passer with averages of 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks in 22.2 minutes per game, the sprained wrist may at least partially explain his shooting struggles. Ball turned in a 50.4 effective field goal percentage, his lowest rate since 2018-19 (48.8 percent).
Dosunmu (shoulder) said Thursday that he is no longer wearing a brace and expects to resume 5-on-5 practice in August, K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Networkreports.
Dosunmu underwent season-ending surgery in March to address left shoulder instability. However, it appears that Dosunmu is on track to make a full recovery ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
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Bulls' Julian Phillips: Plays a single minute
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Phillips finished with no counting stats in one minute during Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat.
Phillips appeared in 79 regular-season games for Chicago in the 2024-25 season, but saw limited playing time. He averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field. Phillips is under contract with the Bulls for two more seasons.
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Bulls' Jalen Smith: Plays only three minutes
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Smith ended Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat with one assist over three minutes.
The Bulls played their starting five a ton of minutes Wednesday, resulting in Smith and Zach Collins seeing a combined eight minutes. Smith was a minor role player for the Bulls in 2024-25, averaging 8.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 0.7 blocks in 15.0 minutes across 64 outings.
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Bulls' Zach Collins: Plays five minutes
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Collins chipped in two points (1-1 FG) and one assist over five minutes during Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat.
Although he didn't see much run in this game, Collins saw his role increase in 2024-25 following his trade from the Spurs. He appeared in 28 games for Chicago, averaging 8.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and 0.6 three-pointers in 19.7 minutes per game.
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Bulls' Dalen Terry: Sees 13 minutes
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Terry logged two points (1-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and four rebounds across 13 minutes during Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat.
Terry was used sparingly by the Bulls in the 2024-25 season, though he saw more playing time during the second half. Overall, he made 73 regular-season appearances, averaging 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 three-pointers in 13.5 minutes while shooting 44.8 percent from the field.
Horton-Tucker registered nine points (4-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), one rebound and three steals across 16 minutes during Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat.
Horton-Tucker was used sparingly by the Bulls for most of the regular season, appearing in 58 games with averages of 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.7 three-pointers in 12.5 minutes per contest. Heading into his age-25 season in 2025-26, Horton-Tucker will be a free agent this summer.
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Bulls' Patrick Williams: Muted impact in season-ending loss
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Williams accumulated zero points (0-2 FG, 0-1 3Pt), two rebounds and one steal across 15 minutes during Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat.
Williams had a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, shooting a career-low 39.7 percent from the field. The 23-year-old forward averaged 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.0 minutes across 63 appearances, including 36 starts, this season. While Williams is still a quality defender, it appears he may have lost his long-term starting spot to Matas Buzelis.
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Bulls' Kevin Huerter: Disappointing end to season
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Huerter closed Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat with 10 points (3-7 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-3 FT), one rebound, one assist, one block and two steals in 32 minutes.
Huerter was one of four Chicago players to score double-digit points in Wednesday's Play-In Game loss that ended the team's season. The 26-year-old guard was traded from the Kings to the Bulls in February, receiving a significantly increased role. Across Huerter's 26 regular-season appearances for Chicago, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 30.0 minutes.
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Bulls' Lonzo Ball: Misses final 23 games of 2024-25
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Ball (wrist) didn't play in Chicago's last 23 games of the season, including Wednesday's 109-90 Play-In Game loss to the Heat. He finished the regular season with averages of 7.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 three-pointers and 1.3 steals in 22.2 minutes per game over 35 appearances while shooting 36.6 percent from the field.
After he hadn't played since January 2022 after requiring three surgeries on his left knee, Ball received full medical clearance to return to the court ahead of the 2024-25 season. While Ball didn't incur any setbacks with his knee over the course of the season, he was still limited to 35 games due to a sprained right wrist, an illness and general injury management. The wrist issue in particular proved to be problematic for Ball, who first suffered the injury in late October and missed 15 straight games, then suffered a recurrence of the injury in early March that kept him off the floor for the final 22 games of the regular season as well as the play-in contest. Ball will presumably be fully recovered from the wrist sprain ahead of training camp and will return for his fifth season with the Bulls after signing a one-year, $10 million extension in February.
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