The Chicago Bulls dodged a potential nightmare for the final stretch of the season.
Despite exiting Wednesday’s road win against the Indiana Pacers with a right hip injury and missing Thursday’s home game against the Los Angeles Clippers, guard Coby White is not expected to miss significant time for the Bulls.
Coach Billy Donovan told reporters ahead of Thursday’s game that White underwent MRI scans after the team arrived in Chicago. The scans did not show any significant damage that could cause a long-term absence. White was designated “questionable” for Thursday’s game with hip soreness, but Donovan voiced optimism about the guard’s early prognosis.
“All the imaging came back relatively clean,” Donovan said. “He is dealing with discomfort and soreness. It’s just a matter of how quickly and soon he can get over that.”
When White crashed to the ground — right leg splayed out, left knee buckled under his body — in the final 10 seconds of Wednesday’s game in Indianapolis, the Bulls seemed to be staring down a catastrophe. Even Donovan thought White had grabbed his knee in pain, signally an injury that could have derailed a breakout season that landed White in the top echelon of players considered for the Most Improved Player Award.
But White was able to walk off the court on his own, albeit with a serious limp. By the time his teammates joined him after an overtime victory a half-hour later, he was cracking jokes while moving gingerly around the locker room.
White is perhaps the most vital player for the Bulls — running the point, averaging 19.5 points and 5.2 assists and leading the league with a 2424.6 minutes played over 66 games. But that workload has also been taxing, especially as injuries to Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams limited roster depth.
The Bulls don’t know when White will return, although it could be as soon as Saturday against the Washington Wizards at the United Center. With 15 games remaining in the season after Thursday, the Bulls will have no choice but to lean on the guard for a high volume of minutes for the remainder of the regular season and postseason.
Donovan noted the injury will highlight how White needs to prepare during the offseason as he continues to shoulder higher expectations.
“For Coby, it’s been an eye-opening experience in a lot of ways,” Donovan said. “He has an incredible threshold to fight through things. But coming into the season I don’t know if he would’ve anticipated the number of minutes that he’s gotten this year. … That’s part of his evolution as a player.”
Julia Poe , 2024-03-15 00:46:50
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