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Lonzo Ball has officially completed his long return to a regular-season game.
The Chicago Bulls guard came off the bench and played 14 minutes in his team’s 123-111 season-opening loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. While he finished with just five points, four assists and two rebounds, that he was even on the floor at all was noteworthy.
After all, the last time he appeared in a regular-season game was Jan. 14, 2022.
“I’m just happy to be on the court,” he told reporters. “Coach calls my name, I’m just trying to give good minutes.”
The Bulls plan on limiting his minutes, playing him off the bench and holding him out of back-to-backs for the time being, but it is still a testament to his resilience that he is once again part of the rotation.
Ball underwent multiple knee surgeries, including a cartilage transplant, since he last played in a game, and there were times when it was easy to speculate when he would ever make it back on the court.
As for the game itself, 27 points from Zach LaVine wasn’t enough for the Bulls to keep up with the Pelicans on the road.
Brandon Ingram spearheaded the scoring for the victors with 33 points, while CJ McCollum added 23. It wasn’t all good news for the Pelicans, as Zion Williamson was sidelined and there is concern Dejounte Murray suffered a fractured left hand, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
New Orleans still had enough to defeat Chicago, which will now turn its attention to another challenging road game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
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