5 Chicago Bulls players who will benefit from Coby White and Patrick Williams' injury absence at the start of the 2021-22 NBA season
The Chicago Bulls have been the talk of the NBA after their impressive offseason. They have quickly positioned themselves as sneaky contenders in the Eastern Conference after adding a number of big names to their roster. As training camp rapidly approaches, it's always a slippery slope when it comes to teams trying to avoid injuries before the 2021-22 NBA regular season. Unfortunately for the Bulls, it was reported today by Shams Charania that a key part of their starting lineup is going to miss some time.
Bulls second-year forward Patrick Williams suffered a severe left ankle sprain and is anticipated to return in 4-to-6 weeks.
After an impressive display in the Summer League, Patrick Williams is a player that is viewed by as much as a potential second-year breakout candidate. Unfortunately, the former fourth overall selection will now be sidelined for a bit. Patrick Williams became an underrated part of this Chicago Bulls rotation early on. He's a versatile player who is at his best as a defensive asset. It was also reported that third-year guard Coby White will also be sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Bulls just announced some injury news:
Patrick Williams suffered “severe” left ankle sprain during optional individual workout. Return timeline 4-6 weeks.
Coby White progressing on shoulder. Will be non-contact participant in parts of camp. Expected to return in November.
After an offseason of adding a number of key pieces, the Bulls will now have to look for other players to step up in the absence of White and Williams moving forward. Here are a couple of names to keep an eye on moving forward.
Five players who could step up for the Chicago Bulls with the injuries to Patrick Williams and Coby White
#5 Ayo Dosunmu
After only having one pick in the second-round of the 2021 NBA Draft, it wasn't expected that the Chicago Bulls would find a potential contributor to this roster. That was until talented guard Ayo Dosunmu fell to the Bulls with the 38th selection. After an impressive career at Illinois, Dosunmu has the potential to carve out minutes in the Bulls rotation.
With the injury to Coby White, Dosunmu will now have a chance during the Chicago Bulls training camp to prove that he deserves to earn some minutes early on in his career. At Illinois, Ayo was asked to carry the offense when it came to scoring. There's a belief that surrounding him with NBA talent could allow Ayo to let the game come more naturally and produce some early success.
#4 Derrick Jones Jr.
After spending last year with the Portland Trail Blazers, Derrick Jones Jr. was acquired by the Chicago Bulls during the offseason via trade. The athletic forward was expected to be a rotational asset off the bench behind Patrick Williams. Now, Jones could be a player who will need to play extended minutes right out of the gate for the Bulls. With a team that is going to have plenty of offensive firepower, Derrick Jones Jr. could be a nice complementary piece that can do a lot of things that Patrick Williams can do.