Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier will make her season debut Wednesday against the Seattle Storm, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves told reporters ahead of the matchup.
Collier will later announced as being in the starting lineup for the game.
Collier underwent surgery on both ankles in the offseason to repair two injuries she suffered last season. She had surgery on her right ankle on New Year's Day, and then on her left in March. Collier was initially ruled out for four to six months. She returned to team practices on July 1 and has spent the past month ramping up her conditioning and activities.
Reeve said Collier will be under a minutes restriction on Wednesday, and that her on-the-court expectations should be "tempered."
"This is the next step in her process, this is not a full tilt," Reeve said. "We're certainly going to be mindful. This is a really incredible step, but we still have a couple more steps to go before we get to see the Phee we've come to know."
A five-time All-Star, Collier was among the front-runners for league MVP last season before a right ankle injury in August forced her to miss three weeks. She has not played since tearing three ligaments in her left ankle in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals in September.
She averaged 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 blocks per game last season and became the second player in league history to shoot 50% from the floor, 40% from 3 and 90% from the free throw line in a season.
"Having a player like her that is just so gifted naturally, instinctual ... a player like that gets more attention and then everyone else's lives get a little bit easier," Reeve said on how Collier's return will impact the team.
She continued: "Basketball gets simplified because she plays the game so simply ... the game will come to her. There will come a time when I push her and I say you need to act like the best player on the floor, but that is not necessarily today."
Her ramp-up since July 1 has been steady -- treating it as a sort of training camp -- and the medical staff and Collier decided they were both comfortable with her taking the next step and returning to game action.
Wednesday's game in Seattle is Minnesota's last game before the All-Star break, and the Lynx don't play again until July 28. Reeve said it was logical for Collier to come back now and then have a week to see how her body responds, but said she was not part of that decision-making.
Even without Collier, the Lynx have exceeded expectations, currently sitting in first place in the standings at 21-6, largely thanks to the standout play of rookie Olivia Miles.