NBA minutes leader is out of the opening game but is not seriously hurt
Despite having a fair share of injuries this season, the Chicago Bulls were spared a major addition when Coby White’s right hip ailment was discovered to be moderate through imaging.
Coach Billy Donovan made this statement prior to White missing his season-opening game on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.
“It’s probably going to be when he can start to feel comfortable to get back to playing,” Donovan stated. “Every imaging result was largely uncontaminated. There, he is coping with pain and soreness. Thus, the only question is how soon and how swiftly he can go past that.
In the last ten seconds of regulation during the Bulls’ OT triumph over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, White sustained the injury. White attempted a fast-break layup, but Pascal Siakam forcefully blocked it. After landing on White, the player writhed on the floor for a few seconds before hobbling directly to the locker room.But by the time the game ended, White was having a wonderful time in the locker room. He talked and laughed with teammates, moving without any problems.
“When I initially saw him clutch something, I believed it was his knee. Donovan stated, “I spoke with the trainer after he got up and went, and he claimed it was his hip. “He was in pain both during and after it happened, and it was really severe pain. You start to worry that things could go much worse when you witness someone fall on top of another person with such power. We were lucky, so to speak, that it wasn’t something more serious or devastating there.
With 2,424 minutes played overall, White leads the NBA. DeMar DeRozan comes in second. He has continuously complimented White’s work ethic and offseason conditioning routine in advance of this breakout season.
“I think for Coby it’s been really an eye-opening experience in a lot of ways,” Donovan stated. “He can overcome obstacles with amazing strength. He is quite resilient, whether it be in terms of physical or mental issues.
“I’m not sure if he would have expected to play as much as he has this season, given his role from the previous campaign, going into the season. Given what he has experienced this year, I do believe that he will be more receptive to training in a different way this summer. It is a component of his development as a player.”