Are there bigger plans for Bulls guard Lonzo Ball this year?

Wednesday was all about rightly celebrating Lonzo Ball and his long journey to returning to an NBA game for the first time in 1,006 days.

Thursday? It was time to deal with the reality of being a point guard.

The best news the Bulls were able to report about Ball was that the left knee did not keep him from light practice after more than 15 minutes of work the night before and he remained on schedule to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Bulls to play cavaliers.

Important for the Bulls coaching staff as they begin planning the rotation for the regular season, but even more important for Ball and his teammates.

Want to see how popular Ball is with the rest of the squad? Check out the video the team released from the locker room immediately after Ball scored 10 points in the win over the Timberwolves.

First it was Coby White, who handed Ball a game ball and told the locker room, “Zo’s back, man. So you know it's a blessing to be a part of his journey. You know that many of us have experienced the ups and downs. That was a hell of a night for him. Here’s the ball, brother.”

Then it was Zach LaVine's turn, holding up a No. 2 ball jersey signed by everyone.

“Just like Coby said, I respect you more than anything because of what you’ve been through,” LaVine said. “We love you, care for you and look forward to seeing you again.”

Not the kind of heartwarming cheer one expected when Ball first underwent a third surgery on his left knee, completely replacing his cartilage and essentially giving him an entirely new knee. Considering that no professional athlete has ever made a comeback using this new procedure, yes, game balls and jerseys for everyone.

What now?

A very important question for the organization in both the short and long term.

The team announced Thursday morning that Onuralp Bitim and Kenneth Lofton Jr. have been waived and final roster battles for Talen Horton-Tucker and EJ Liddell have been missed. But no matter who wins, the Bulls will once again remain very defensive.

Josh Giddey, LaVine and White will be in the starting lineup, while Ayo Dosunmu will be one of the primary backcourt options off the bench. If Ball maintains his 16-minute limit at the start of the year and coach Billy Donovan undoubtedly lets Jalen Smith and rookie Matas Buzelis play off the bench, the rotation will be nine players with Patrick Williams and Nikola Vucevic starters up front.

Donovan's wheelhouse is a nine-man rotation, but he will now likely expand it to ten, with Dalen Terry, Julian Phillips and possibly Horton-Tucker fighting for that one final rotation spot. Due to the youth movement, it will likely be between Terry and Philips, with Phillips having a slight advantage with his versatility and rebounding abilities.

That leaves guys like Jevon Carter, Torrey Craig, Chris Duarte and Horton-Tucker as veteran towel holders waiting for an opportunity.

For this reason, it remains relevant for Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas to cut pieces from this roster as the season progresses.

Yes, LaVine is 1A and 1B on that priority list, followed by Vucevic if Karnisovas goes.

But what about Ball now?

Not only did he score 10 points and show off the three-point shot on his bright night, but he also excelled surprisingly well on defense – a cause for concern for Donovan heading into the game.

If he can stretch his limitations to the 22-minute mark and maintain maintenance on the knee so that he only gets out of two straight games, then his expiring contract suddenly becomes very valuable to a playoff team.

A conversation for another day? No doubt. But it better be a question the Bulls want to investigate as a priority.