By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After two years of being sidelined due to injuries, former NBA second-overall Rookie selection Lonzo Ball finally made his return to the Chicago Bulls during their preseason victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 17, 2024.
Despite missing the NBA stage for a lengthy period of time, the point guard came back as if he never left, tallying an efficient 10-point performance in only 15 minutes of playing time.
Ball helped Chicago nab the morale-boosting victory over Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves, 125-123, and is officially ready to reinforce the Bulls when the formal tip-off of the season kicks off next week.
Upon checking into the game, the whole Chicago fans stood to their feet and gave Ball a standing ovation as they missed him badly during his two-year absence.
Ball was in rhythm the whole night, knocking down two three-pointers out of his four total attempts to cap off the win with a 4/6 shooting from the field.
Aside from his steady offensive contribution, Ball also added one rebound, one assist, a steal, and a block, that previewed the Chicago fan base of what he can bring to the table.
Although Ball confirmed that he is still adjusting to the NBA pace after failing to suit up in the past two seasons, his performance gave the Bulls a huge impact after surviving the comeback attempt from Minnesota.
Ball is still trying to find his mark after undergoing multiple knee surgeries to be able to reach optimum playing state again.
Now that he is ready to go, Chicago will have to lean on his versatility as DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso already left the franchise to join other teams.
DeRozan was recently acquired by the Sacramento Kings, while Caruso accepted a huge offer from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ball will backstop the new Chicago core of Josh Giddey, Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Patrick Williams, and Zach Lavine.
