The slew of injuries the Bulls have suffered this season is starting to feel comical. And they added another one to the list on Saturday.
Rookie Chandler Hutchison will miss the next two weeks before being reevaluated after suffering a broken right toe in Wednesday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks, the Bulls confirmed in a press release.
Hutchison will be out through the All-Star break, when he'll be reexamined. The Bulls' press release added that Hutchison will wear a walking boot while he's out.
The injury comes on the heels of Hutchison’s best game in the NBA, notching his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds against the Clippers on Friday. Hutchison played 41 minutes in that game, though it's unclear if the injury was worsened by him playing after suffering the injury on Wednesday.
Hutchison was heating up in the wake of the Bulls dealing Justin Holiday; the 22-year-old was averaging 8.2 points and 6.4 rebounds in his last 11 games – all starts. He had reached double figures four times in the last seven games after doing so just twice all season prior to that stretch.
In those seven games Hutchison had been showing more comfort on the offensive end, averaging 9.4 points on 51 percent shooting. His ability to run in transition and finish through contact on cuts to the basket had given the Bulls a different dynamic on the wing than they had in Holiday. Now he’ll be sidelined for at least two weeks as the injury-ridden Bulls look for another option on the wing.
First in line will be Wayne Selden Jr., who came over in the Holiday trade from Memphis along with two second-round picks. Selden scored 11 points on 5 of 6 shooting in Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks in which he played 19 minutes; he’s played 18 or more minutes in six of the last eight games, averaging 5.1 points on 38.1 percent shooting. Those numbers across the board will all increase while Hutchison is out.
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It could also mean extended run for Jabari Parker. The small forward experiment ended a while ago but the Bulls need to fill 240 minutes (five positions, 48 minutes each) somehow at this point. After Parker’s impressive outing against the Clippers on Friday it’s a certainty that he’ll continue to get run on the second unit, or potentially even start in place of Hutchison (though Selden entering the starting lineup is far more likely).
If you’re keeping track at home, that’s now prolonged injuries to seven different Bulls this season: Denzel Valentine, Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Bobby Portis, Wendell Carter Jr., and Hutchison. No team in the league has been more affected by injuries than Jim Boylen’s group, and they’ll continue to go down the line looking for plug-in plays.
LaVine (ankle) and Markkanen (hip) are also battling some bumps and bruises and may be forced to miss Sunday afternoon's tilt at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers.