2 min read • February 16, 2022
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No NBA team this season has been hit harder and more consistently by injuries than the Chicago Bulls.
As we head into the all-star break at the 2/3 mark of the season, the Bulls are without Patrick Williams, Zach Lavine, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, 3 starters and their top defensive hound.
Williams has been out since Oct. 28, playing in only 5 games before suffering torn ligaments in his left wrist that required surgery. Caruso, Ball, and Lavine each encountered issues early last month, with Caruso and Ball both out for another 4-6 weeks after surgeries on their right wrist and left knee, respectively.
Now, Lavine will head to Los Angeles to address his lingering left knee knee swelling and clicking.
This does not include: the weeks the Bulls spent dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, the 13 games that Coby White missed to open the season with a torn left labrum, the 16 games Javonte Green missed in January with a groin strain, and the 17 games Derrick Jones Jr. missed in January and February with a right knee bone bruise and broken right index finger.
Despite this laundry list of ailments, Billy Donovan has weathered the storm and led Chicago to 37-21 record, 1st in the Central Division and 2nd in the East.
Their sustained success has been a testament to DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Ayo Dosunmu, and their depth at the wing position.
DeRozan has played in 54 games this season, missing only 4, and is 1st in the league in total points (1509) and made field goals (550) and 7th in minutes played (1919).
He has stepped up even more since Ball and Caruso went down, averaging 34.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on 58.3% shooting in the last 14 games starting on Jan. 21 versus the Bucks, in which Caruso suffered his wrist injury.
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