Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Most Improved Player Candidate Hurt During OT Win

On Wednesday night, Chicago Bulls breakout point guard Coby White appeared to hurt his hip while his shot attempt was rejected by Indiana Pacers power forward/center Pascal Siakam late into the fourth quarter of an eventual 132-129 Bulls overtime victory. White emerged as his team's best player after star shooting guard Zach LaVine initially went down with an injury in the fall, and has lately taken on closing duties alongside six-time All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that imaging on White reveals that he incurred a mild hip strain.

On the night, White finished with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the floor (1-of-3 from long range) and 2-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe. He also chipped in four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block of his own. DeRozan was the game's high scorer, with 46 points on 15-of-24 shooting from the floor and 15-of-17 shooting from the charity stripe. He also added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block to his well-rounded stat sheet.

At least it appears that any lingering effects on the hip won't impede White's availability too much in a critical closing season push. Per Woj, the 6'5" fifth-year guard is expected to be back in action for Chicago as soon as Saturday, when the team will square off against the lowly Washington Wizards. Washington is the league's worst team by record. At 11-54, the Wiz have already been eliminated from postseason contention.

White has been enjoying a spectacular run in 2023-24. After being selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2019 draft out of the University of North Carolina, the score-first guard quickly became a fan favorite in Chicago, mostly as an energy-shifting, volume three-point shooting bench bucket-getter. He had yet to become an impact starter, however. At least, before this year. Earmarked as the Bulls' day one starter at lead guard to begin this season, White has blossomed into a fringe All-Star.

Across 66 games for the 32-34 Bulls, the 24-year-old is averaging career highs of 19.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 0.7 steals a night. That scoring average, his best by 4.4 points, is being achieved on a .452/.388/.839 slash line. White's ascent has helped compensate for a litany of veteran absences, and has kept Chicago afloat in the play-in race as the East's ninth seed. Bulls starters LaVine and Patrick Williams suffered season-ending injuries earlier this year. $20 million point guard Lonzo Ball hasn't played a game for the Bulls since January 2022.

The NBA as a whole has taken notice of White. Alongside Philadelphia 76ers All-Star point guard Tyrese Maxey, Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams, and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, White has emerged as one of the top contenders for this year's Most Improved Player Award, according to online sportsbook BetOnline.ag. White's +100 odds to nab the prize rank just behind Maxey's -140 as the best of the bunch.