How Lonzo Ball's return to the NBA with the Chicago Bulls looked

CHICAGO - It's been 1,006 days for Lonzo Ball.

The Chicago Bulls' guard, acquired to be a piece of the team's core of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, played in his first NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022, on Wednesday evening.

When Ball entered in the first quarter of the Bulls' preseason game against the Timberwolves, he became the first-ever athlete to return to action after a meniscus transplant. 

"It felt a lot better playing than watching, I'll say that much," Ball said after the game. "I can't even really put into words how I felt out there. I was just blessed, happy to be out there, man. All the support around me was great all night. Man, it was definitely a moment I'll never forget."

There were going to be some guidelines, to be clear. Bulls' head coach Billy Donovan said Ball would play 16 minutes against Minnesota, with each of those 16 minutes split into four-minute intervals.

Ball would have a halftime check-in after playing his first eight minutes.

"I want to see how he feels at halftime after playing eight minutes," Donovan said before the game. "Eight minutes, like even in practice and stuff, I think it's a little bit different than games, and our guys have gone hard in practice."

Ball didn't get his full 16 minutes in Wednesday's game. He scored 10 points, while also recording an assist, a rebound, a block and a steal with a +6 point differential in 15 minutes.

Donovan didn't play him in the fourth quarter, but that didn't change the outcome. It was a successful return to the court for Ball.

Here's how his successful return took shape.

First Quarter - 6:08 to 1:29

Ball sat in his warm-ups, his legs jittery as he waited for his call.

Donovan signaled to him, and he entered the game at the 6:08 mark in the first quarter.

He was finally back.

"I wasn't thinking about it at all, so that's a positive thing," Ball said. "I didn't feel it at all. I felt like I was moving."

It didn't take Ball long to insert himself into the game. Less than a minute into the game, he hit a 3-pointer to bring the United Center to its feet.

When Ball saw the floor on offense, he didn't sprint around or show a ton of movement. That was okay, because he was effective even without all the cutting and extra movement.

Ball passed the Bulls into open offensive space and created offensive movement with his ball skills. It was a reminder of how talented of a player he is.

"He's talked about trying to get back his rhythm and timing," Donovan said after the game. "There's a lot of things that he does in the game that he doesn't really require anything with his knee or his body uses his brain so much."

Second Quarter - 8:37 to 4:36

In a moment, the United Center held its breath.

Ball, chasing down a loose ball, flung himself into the Bulls' bench to save a basketball that was going out of bounds. He landed among the players, got up and then darted back down the floor.

The knee was fine.

"All the instinctive plays, that's not going to go anywhere," Ball said. "It's more about the on-ball and seeing on the screens like I used to, getting that back. But, like I said, off the ball, I feel comfortable."

Ball was active on defense. Most of the movement he had was either around screens or chasing down offensive players. He didn't look slowed or apprehensive. He was aggressive.

Donovan credits that to Ball's basketball IQ, which allows him to see things before they happen.

"I just give him a lot of credit because there's probably a lot coming back, being out for two and a half years," Donovan said. "You're playing your first game and I know it's not the regular season yet, but still for him, to get out in an NBA environment in NBA game and I know he's put a lot of work in to get himself ready for this moment."

Even if Ball's ceiling is to be a three-and-D player, shooting and playing defense in his minutes, he proved he can be successful in that endeavor.

Third Quarter - 7:02 to 1:09

When Ball came into the third quarter, the Bulls led 83-69. Donovan said he didn't like the energy the team had in the third frame, but Ball didn't detract from that.

He took catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. He had no hesitation.

He was also slick in the pick-and-roll game, moving around the defense and taking passes for layups underneath the basket.

He had four points in the third. When Ball checked out at the 1:09 mark, the Bulls were up 98-82.

Ball was a reason for that, pushing the ball up the court and helping the offensive style Donovan wanted to see this season.

This, of course, wasn't shocking for Donovan. He had been seeing this already.

"I thought he blew some screens up," Donovan said. "There was nothing that I would say in his minutes today that I had not been seeing in practice. Like this would not be like totally, 'hey, I'm shocked how well he played.' He's been doing that in practice."

What's next for Lonzo Ball

Ball did not play the fourth. Donovan cited the longer playing time in the third, which plays into the immediate future.

So, what now?

Donovan said there's not much the team can do but wait and see how Ball's knee responds to the game tonight. 

"You don't know," Donovan said. "He may not have any soreness and he can go to practice and he can do stuff tomorrow, or it may be, hey, tomorrow's a total rehab day for him. So I think this is where we're trying to find out how does he respond? Because you have this game, maybe he's great now. He plays again the next night and maybe after that game he's sore."

This is what happens when a player tries to return from a procedure no player has ever had to play after.

"We just don't have enough information to determine that," Donovan said. "But he'll have a certain protocol that he'll go through postgame."

Still, whatever the future holds, Ball is adamant he feels fine. He felt the love in the locker room after the game.

He's also certain he's playing in the Bulls' next preseason game Friday.

"I'm going to play Friday, for sure," Ball said. "Hopefully I can give the same effort."