Wendell Carter Jr. has been rock solid for Chicago this season. When he is on the court the offense flows better, and coach Jim Boylen described him as the Bulls best defensive player. When Carter has been on the court this season the Bulls outscore opponents by 1.4 points per 100 possessions, but when he sits they get outscored by 6.1.
Now he’s going to sit a lot, likely missing weeks with an ankle sprain suffered Wednesday against New Orleans, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic and confirmed by K.C.Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
MRI on Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. revealed a high right ankle sprain and likely to miss multiple weeks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Bulls will evaluate Carter on daily basis.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 9, 2020
Can confirm Wendell Carter Jr.’s MRI on right ankle revealed “serious” sprain that has ruled out “day-to-day” status. Official timeline for return expected today. @ShamsCharania, who 1st reported news, said “likely several weeks.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 9, 2020
Carter averages 11.7 points on 53.7 percent shooting, plus 9.9 rebounds a game. However, his impact has been larger on the defensive end. Boylen wants to play an aggressive, trapping defense and Carter is the best Bulls big at that (and it’s not close).
Expect Thaddeus Young to start and Daniel Gafford to get more run until Carter returns.