There’s never a good time for a team to be hit with the injury bug, but now is a particularly bad time for the Bulls to lose more bodies.
Coach Billy Donovan’s team is a half-game behind the Washington Wizards for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the last spot in the play-in tournament. Now, they’re up against a back-to-back with DeMar DeRozan’s availability in question.
An MRI done Tuesday morning revealed DeRozan has a Grade 1 thigh strain. DeRozan was listed as out for Wednesday’s game against the Pacers in Indianapolis.
It was not clear if DeRozan would be available for Thursday’s game against the Bucks at the United Center.
“There’s enough discomfort there where he is having a hard time moving, cutting and jumping,” Donovan said. “A lot of it is going to be how he progresses every day.”
DeRozan was forthcoming about his discomfort after the Bulls' Monday night loss to the Magic, saying he’s been playing through pain for over a month. The discomfort was enough to cause him to remove himself from the game late in the fourth quarter for fear of further injury.
He missed three games in January with a strained right quadriceps and another last week with right hip soreness. But according to DeRozan, those absences didn’t help improve his ailment.
“It’s been bad to be honest,” DeRozan said. “I’ve never been one to complain or make any type of excuses. It’s just been something I’ve been dealing with for a while.”
The honesty from DeRozan provides some clarity on why he’s looked like a less super version of superman for the Bulls in the month of February. In the six games he’s appeared in he’s averaging 18.3 points, 6.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds.
Now the question becomes how do the Bulls make a push for a spot in the play-in tournament without their All-Star.
Derrick Jones Jr. left Monday night’s game in the second quarter and will also miss Wednesday’s game.
Meanwhile, Alex Caruso — who was absent from Monday’s game after reaggravating his sprained left foot — was improving, according to Donovan. He is questionable for Wednesday.
Down multiple bodies, Donovan will look to rookie Dalen Terry to step up. He credited the young forward for staying ready and coming in Monday night and providing valuable minutes. He finished with four points and one rebound in nine minutes against the Magic.
“I feel comfortable with him,” Donovan said. “He, for the amount of minutes he got, gave us a really big lift off the bench.”
Looking back on February reveals a negative trend for the Bulls.
They’re last in the league in three-point percentage after shooting 27.4% from deep through seven games. Their 106.4 offensive rating has dropped them to 29th in the league this month.
Considering the push the Bulls need to make in the 25 games that remain in the season in order to earn a play-in spot, Donovan said his team has the right sense of urgency. Whether they utilize it is a separate conversation.
“I’ve said this before, their spirit has always been the kind to try and come back,” Donovan said. “This group has character from that standpoint. We’ll see. We’re going to be down maybe some bodies here going in. It doesn’t really make a difference. We have to play better and compete better.”
