The NBA pre-season is slowly starting to approach the end, and the teams are still fine-tuning a few details before the start of the regular season, scheduled for October 22. This night, ten franchises are going to screw each other up again, enough to give us some nice moments. Among them, the big return of Lonzo Ball, and the first of Julius Randle with the Wolves.
The evening program
- 1h : Pistons – Cavaliers
- 1h : Sixers – Nets
- 1h30 : Heat – Hawks
- 2h : Bulls – Timberwolves
- 4h : Trail Blazers – Ulm
Lonzo Ball, rediscovering the taste for basketball
It is without doubt and without any possible or imaginable form of debate, the great event of this evening. Sorry for this slightly dictatorial sentence, but the return of Lonzo Ball to the courts is absolutely unmissable. We are talking here about a boy to whom everything seemed promised, but whom life ultimately did not spare. Stopped by a shattered left knee while playing what could be considered the best basketball of his career, Zo subsequently experienced three nightmarish years.
After missing two straight NBA seasons, Chicago’s Lonzo Ball is expected to make return to basketball on Wednesday vs. Minnesota, sources told ESPN. A major comeback from cartilage transplant surgery for Ball, who last played Jan. 14, 2022. pic.twitter.com/tuJCF4GYQW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1845857593274614213?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Only here, perhaps thanks to all the taunts linked to his shoot or his family, Lonzo Ball is a fighter, a real one. A boy who, after three operations, a cartilage graft and 1006 days of absence, will end up rediscovering the pleasure of playing basketball. This evening, against the Wolves in pre-season, Zo will step on an NBA floor for the first time since January 13, 2022. Besides, a lot has happened in almost three years.
Well, Victor Wembanyama, for example, wasn’t even a topic of discussion yet. This shows how much time has passed during the absence of the Chicago leader. But now all that seems to be in the past. Ball will find the ball and sneakersand enjoy the pleasure of playing basketball again without being hampered by injuries. Hoping now that his body will leave him alone for a while.
Julius Randle’s big debut with the Timberwolves
Clearly, this Bulls – Timberwolves is going to be the center of attention this night. In addition to marking the return of Lonzo Ball to the basketball courts, it should also offer us the big debut of Julius Randle in the Wolves jersey. Landed in Minnesota in exchange for Karl Anthony-Towns, the J has still not played a single minute with his new teamundoubtedly the fault of a still capricious shoulder, although operated on last April.
All-Star forward Julius Randle will make his Minnesota Timberwolves debut Wednesday in a preseason bout with the Chicago Bulls, league sources relay. pic.twitter.com/q54oc3kDyW
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1845896332911038804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Despite everything, the interior should be in good condition this evening. The opportunity for him to discover his new teammates, and start to create a connection on the floor. His association in the racket with Rudy Gobert, for example, is one of the points on which we must pay attention. Meet for 2 hours, to see if the new wolf integrates properly into the pack.
Our French, again and always!
Because staying up all night for pre-season would probably be worth a lot less if our Frenchies weren’t there. This night, we will obviously have to keep an eye on the Hawks of a certain Zaccharie Risacher. Very good since the start of preparation, Zacch will try to get back on track tonight against Miami, after a good outing against the Sixers.
Here the Sixers, let’s talk about it. This night, Philly faces the Nets, and Guerschon Yabusele should be there to continue his work in the opposing rackets. No Killian Hayes on the other hand, still injured in the hip. Not great for him in terms of finding a place on the Nets roster…
We continue with Rayan Rupert! After two rather discreet matches with Portland, the Frenchman could continue to have a few minutes tonight against Ulm. The opportunity to show off even more. Facing him, the French prospect Noa Essengue, whose mission will be to show the world that the NBA is a stage made for him.
