Why is Lonzo Ball not playing against Atlanta Hawks? Closer look at Bulls guard's absence (Dec. 26)

The Chicago Bulls will square off against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night. However, Billy Donovan's team will be without their star point guard again.

Lonzo Ball won't suit up in the Eastern Conference showdown. This will be his 18th missed game of the season.

Ball recently made his return to the court after missing more than two years with a knee injury. Even when healthy, he's been playing under a strict minutes restriction.

What happened to Lonzo Ball?

According to the Bulls' injury report, Ball is going to miss the game with an undisclosed illness. It doesn't seem related to his knee injury.

Lonzo Ball's season

Ball has averaged 5.2 points, 3.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 17.5 minutes across 12 appearances this season.

The Bulls could still look to move him, according to the Chicago Sun Times’ Joe Cowley.

“The Bulls would love to get the key reserve showing he can stay healthy long term, especially since he’s missed 18 games already, but until they can do that, Ball trade rumors are more speculation than anything,” Cowley said.

“A solid next few weeks from Ball could start generating some interest, especially because he is working on an expiring contract, and all the Bulls would be looking to do is swap an expiring contract as well as grabbing a few possible second-rounders in the deal.”

Ball knows it's going to take more time before he gets back to full strength. Baby steps are frustrating, but it's the only way to get where he wants to go.

“Honestly, man, it’s a week-by-week process,” Ball told Gilbert Arenas on Monday. “So, we started at what, 14 (minutes)? Now, we up to 20. I feel like the impact I can make on the game, there’s a lot I can do in 20 minutes. So, honestly, right now, I feel comfortable at 20. So, we’ll probably be there for a minute.

"Obviously, I want to get it lifted off, but also want to play as many games as I can."

Ball acknowledged that as much as he would like to play his usual minutes, it's no good if he ends up suffering setbacks.

“The internal discussion is, you know, we don’t want to play one night for 35 minutes, and then I’m out for the next two weeks if I could just keep playing 20," Ball said. "Keep me productive on the court and doing my thing with the minutes I have, and I have no problem coming off the bench, man, and just trying to help the team out, to be honest.”

In the end, no one denies or doubts Ball's talent or impact. His availability, however, could continue to be a major concern for the remainder of his NBA career.