The Chicago Bulls should welcome back Ayo Dosunmu this week!
The organization upgraded Dosunmu’s injury status for the second game in a row, declaring him questionable for tonight’s meeting with the New Orleans Pelicans. The guard has missed the team’s last nine games after suffering a calf strain.
While the improved injury designation tells us a return is on the horizon, we will likely need to wait one more game to see him back in the rotation. We typically don’t see a player return on the front end of a back-to-back, so it feels far more probable that Dosunmu will get the green light tomorrow night against the Atlanta Hawks. Poor, Trae Young!
Billy Donovan also informed reporters this week that, when Dosunmu does return, he will be under a minutes restriction. Considering he hasn’t played in over three weeks, this sure doesn’t come as a surprise. However, I would expect this restriction to be lifted relatively quickly. Dosunmu has taken on an increasingly bigger role this season, averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in his 14 games prior to injury. He also started each one of those contests.
To be sure, Dosunmu’s insertion into the starting lineup had a lot to do with other injury trouble on the team, including injuries to Patrick Williams and Josh Giddey. But could Williams’ poor play as of late lead Billy Donovan to seek a shake-up? As unconventional as it feels, he has already started Ayo Dosunmu alongside Zach LaVine, Coby White, and Josh Giddey a few times this season.
In other news, Coby White could miss his second-straight game tonight with a neck injury. The sharpshooter has played some of his best basketball of the season over his last eight starts, averaging 21.9 points and 5.8 assists on 49.2 percent shooting from the field. The one-two punch he was providing alongside Zach LaVine – who has six straight 30+ point games – is a big reason why the Bulls are 5-3 in their last eight games.
The Bulls also announced on Monday that veteran forward Torrey Craig will have to miss at least two more weeks with an ankle sprain. We wrote more about that here
Bulls-Pelicans Injury Report
Bulls
Torrey Craig – OUT (ankle)
Ayo Dosunmu – QUESTIONABLE (calf)
Coby White – QUESTIONABLE (neck)
Pelicans
Brandon Ingram – OUT (ankle)
Herb Jones – OUT (shoulder)
Dejounte Murray – PROBABLE (elbow)
