Lonzo Ball set to play for first time in nearly 3 years when Bulls meet Timberwolves on Wednesday

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (AP) — The Chicago Bulls expect point guard Lonzo Ball to play for the first time in nearly three years after being sidelined because of a knee injury when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game on Wednesday.

Coach Billy Donovan said Monday the plan is to have Ball play the final two preseason games. Cleveland visits Friday, before Chicago opens the season at New Orleans on Oct. 23.

“Him playing this next preseason game is kind of what we targeted,” Donovan said prior to Chicago's game at Milwaukee. “We really felt like we wanted to try to get him to play two games before the regular season, whether it was play tonight or off and then go the next game.”

Ball was slowed by COVID last month, and the Bulls are still trying to get a handle on how much activity leads to knee soreness.

Ball has not played since Jan. 14, 2022. He underwent a cartilage and meniscus transplant in his left knee last year after several procedures failed to fix his injury.

Ball has said he plans to be ready for the season opener. He will be on a minutes restriction and won’t play games on back-to-back days.

“He doesn't need to necessarily be the same kind of athlete he was because ... so much of his game is based on passing,” Donovan said. “There's things he sees vision-wise that got nothing to do with where he is athletically. I do think he has shot the ball probably closer to the level we've seen in the past since he has gotten his rhythm and timing back. He's not in the lane a lot. He's not at the rim a lot.”

The Bulls acquired Ball from New Orleans in a sign-and-trade deal prior to the 2021-22 season. He got off to a good start in Chicago, averaging 13 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 42.3% on 3-pointers over 35 games before being derailed.

The 26-year-old Ball had a cartilage transplant in March 2023, his third operation on the knee in a little more than a year. He revealed on his podcast last May that the operation was a bit more extensive.

Ball said he got a new meniscus to go with the cartilage transplant. He also underwent a bone allograft, where the replacement bone comes from another person. Ball said the issues dated to when he tore his meniscus in 2018 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

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