Speaking on WMVP-AM 1000 Friday, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Luol Deng's bothersome left wrist has significantly improved, adding that he doesn't expect the All-Star forward to require surgery, as has been previously expected.
Deng will play in the Olympics this summer and return stateside to continue training, and Thibodeau expects him to be ready to go at the start of training camp in the fall.
If Deng winds up undergoing surgery after the Olympics, he likely would be ruled out for the beginning of the 2012-2013 season. Deng tore a ligament in his left wrist last January but played through the injury.
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He wound up playing in 54 games, averaging a league-leading 39.4 minutes per game with 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.