REPORT: Bird to make debut Sunday against Washington

Sue Bird is suiting up.

According to a report from The Seattle Times, Bird intends on playing for the Seattle Storm in Sunday afternoon’s game against the Washington Mystics. Bird missed the preseason and the first two games of the regular season while she recovered from arthroscopic knee surgery in April.

Bird’s return means Seattle will have their full roster available for the first time in 2017. In their season opener against Los Angeles on May 13, Bird and Breanna Stewart were both out, and the short-handed Storm would suffer a 78-68 loss. Stewart returned the following day, and came up with a game-sealing block in Seattle’s 87-82 victory over Indiana.

Although Seattle split their opening weekend, they hope having Bird in the lineup will rectify their turnover troubles. The Storm are averaging 22.5 turnovers per game, the highest figure in the WNBA. In the report, Bird attributed the high turnover numbers to a position shuffle in Seattle’s lineup; Jewell Loyd and Noelle Quinn made up Seattle’s starting back-court last weekend, but neither are considered traditional point guards.

Bird, 36, is the league’s oldest player, but don’t expect age to hinder her awareness. She led the league in assists last season at 5.8 per game, and her career average of 5.4 per game is the highest among active players.