LaMelo Ball was added to Friday's injury report as day-to-day with a rest designation ahead of Minnesota's preseason game at Chicago. His availability for that game is unresolved with tipoff hours away.
What happened
Ball appeared on Friday's 7 p.m. ET injury report as day-to-day, with the designation listed as rest, other. No previous status was attached to this entry. The report's accompanying note referenced his line from Wednesday's 128-106 preseason loss to Detroit: three points on 1-of-5 shooting, including 1-of-4 from three, with two rebounds and six assists in 18 minutes. The report lists an expected return of Oct. 21. It is his second day-to-day rest tag in less than a week, after being listed day-to-day on Oct. 10 and cleared on Oct. 12.
What it means for the Timberwolves
Minnesota is at the Bulls on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, the same night as the report. Last season, Ball averaged 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 28.0 minutes across 72 games. If he sits, the minutes load shifts toward Anthony Edwards (35.0 minutes, 28.8 points), Julius Randle (33.0 minutes, 21.1 points), Jaden McDaniels (31.7 minutes, 14.8 points) and Rudy Gobert (31.3 minutes, 10.9 points), with Ayo Dosunmu (28.9 minutes, 14.4 points) and Naz Reid (26.1 minutes, 13.6 points) also in the mix. The Timberwolves are 0-0, with the 2026-27 regular season not yet underway, so there is no record split with or without Ball this year.
What to watch
The report sets an expected return of Oct. 21 for Ball. His status will be revisited on the next injury report before Minnesota's following game. Several other Timberwolves carry day-to-day rest designations on the same report, including Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu and Rudy Gobert, while Donte DiVincenzo is out with a right Achilles issue.
Is LaMelo Ball playing at Bulls tonight?
Not announced as confirmed either way. The injury report lists him as day-to-day with a rest designation for Friday's 8 p.m. ET game at Chicago, which means his status was undecided at the time of the report.
When will LaMelo Ball be back?
The injury report lists an expected return of Oct. 21. No further timeline detail is announced beyond that date.