Lonzo Ball has not played an NBA game since January 14, 2022 due to serious knee injuries. This series will reportedly end on Wednesday.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Ball will return to the field for the Chicago Bulls in the team’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

Ball previously said on his podcast that he planned to play in at least two preseason games for the Bulls:

A healthy ball would make a big difference for Chicago.

The 26-year-old averaged 11.9 points, 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, shooting 40 percent from three, while providing elite perimeter defense during his career. However, health has always been an issue: he has never played more than 63 games in a season and has missed the last two completely.

It’s also fair to wonder what he’ll look like after such a long time away from the game. Even well into the season, a large amount of rust can be expected.

But at the very least, the Bulls now have the role of backup point guard. Offseason signing Josh Giddey will take on key playing duties in the starting unit, with standout Coby White moving to an off-ball role in 2023-2024 and Zach LaVine moving to small forward.

Then Ball will likely have to pilot the second unit.

The Bulls were a much better team with the veteran point guard on the court in the 2021-2022 season, posting a 3.1 net rating when he played, according to NBA.com, and a minus 2.1 net rating without him.

They had a 27-13 record before he suffered the knee injury, which has since required multiple surgeries and a rare double cartilage transplant in May 2023, but they remained just 19-23 the rest of that season, and 40-42 in the 2022 season -2023. and 39-43 last season.

Ball won’t fix everything that ails Chicago as the team transitions from its previous older core to a younger one. But his return is a positive story and should bring the team more depth, playmaking and defensive advantage.