The Chicago Bulls are wasting zero time.
According to the latest
official injury report
, Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith, and Patrick Williams will all return to the floor against the Sacramento Kings. Facing off against the NBA’s worst squad and essentially out of the postseason picture, no one would have blamed the Bulls for holding out any of their players for additional time. However, this organization has shown time and again that it will not embrace what some might consider a standard tanking practice.
Instead, Chicago appears destined to remain competitive in lieu of lottery odds, and there is no question this could lead to a victory on Sunday night. The team is 2-12 since the beginning of February as they deal with a chemistry shift and a long list of injuries. They also have not won back-to-back contests since late January.
As for the Kings, they have been arguably the NBA’s worst team all season long. Their -10.6 net rating ranks just a smidge ahead of the Washington Wizards for the second-worst in the league, and they officially threw in the towel weeks ago when ruling out Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis for the rest of the season. This has left Russell Westbrook and DeMar DeRozan to carry the bulk of the workload, but the latter was scratched for tonight’s game against his former team due to illness.
Both Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis will return to the floor after only a one-game absence. Each player suffered an ankle sprain against the Oklahoma City Thunder and was forced to leave the game early. Giddey, in a confusing fashion, did attempt to return despite the double-digit deficit but was later pulled again.
With both young players being fundamental pieces of the Bulls’ future, it’s surprising to see them return so soon. While no one should expect them to be shut down for the season, it would be more than justifiable to act out of an abundance of caution and delay things a little further. After all, both entered the day as questionable instead of probable, implying that some discomfort remained.
Patrick Williams and Jalen Smith have at least been ramping up for a longer period of time. Williams has missed the last four games with a quad injury, while Smith has sat out the last five. The big man’s injury has proven particularly problematic, as he’s moved in and out of the lineup due to the same ailment over the last month-plus. The Bulls will want to be extra cautious with his mintues tonight.
The cleaner injury report will mean
some big decisions
for head coach Billy Donovan. How many minutes will he continue to feed Rob Dillingham? What about Leonard Miller, who has played some very solid basketball in recent weeks? Both are under contract next season and feel like arguably the most important players to evaluate and develop. If neither remains in the rotation, there will be plenty of questions.
Chicago Bulls Injury Report
Anfernee Simons – OUT (wrist)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (knee)
Zach Collins – OUT FOR SEASON
Noa Essengue – OUT FOR SEASON
Sacramento Kings Injury Report
DeMar DeRozan – OUT (illness)
Keegan Murray – OUT (ankle)
De’Andre Hunter – OUT (eye)
Dylan Cardwell – OUT (ankle)
Zach LaVine – OUT FOR SEASON (finger)
Domantas Sabonis – OUT FOR SEASON (knee)
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This article was originally published on
www.si.com/nba/bulls/onsi
as
Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Four Players Upgraded, Including Giddey & Buzelis
.
