Just one day after Wendell Carter Jr. and Otto Porter Jr. provided cautiously optimistic updates on their injury recoveries, the Bulls took a hit.
On Wednesday, the team announced that Kris Dunn will continue his current rehabilitation schedule on his right MCL for four to six weeks before "progressing to functional training" and determining if "additional treatment" is required (i.e. reevaluation). That timeline is a result of an MRI and reexamination conducted on Dunn's knee on Feb. 14.
Dunn sprained his right MCL 13 seconds into a loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Jan. 31. The Bulls' defensive efficiency and playoff chances have plummeted since that time, and this news confirms suspicions that an extended absence would be in the cards.
"His injury rattled our team. It rattled our team in that moment, in that game," Boylen said of Dunn after Wednesday afternoon practice. "Kris Dunn does a lot of things that don't show up on the stat sheet. And we miss those things. He's trying to give it to us from sitting out, but it's difficult."
With about two months remaining in the regular season, a four-to-six week reevaluation timeline casts serious doubt on whether Dunn will return at all this year — a possibility the Bulls have already been preparing for.
Dunn is set to his restricted free agency this offseason, and has proven immensely valuable to the Bulls in his third season with the team. Before going down, Dunn was second in the NBA in total steals and the Bulls owned the seventh-rated defense in the league.
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"He's been very positive," Boylen said. "Kris has been very positive, upbeat. He's that type of person. And we're trying to support him the best we can."
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