Chicago — The Chicago Bulls will open the season without starting guard Coby White, who is expected to remain sidelined for a minimum of two additional weeks while recovering from a right calf strain, the team announced Monday.
The 25-year-old missed the entire preseason after sustaining the injury during an offseason workout in August. Although he returned to practice on Saturday for the first time since training camp began, White told reporters he still needs to improve his conditioning before returning to game action.
Chicago had initially projected that White would be ready for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Detroit Pistons. Instead, he will continue individual on-court work as part of his ramp-up program, the team said.
White has become one of the Bulls’ most consistent scorers over the past two campaigns. He posted career highs last season with 20.4 points and 4.5 assists per game while shooting 45% from the field and 37% from three-point range across 74 appearances.
The 2019 first-round pick is entering the final season of a three-year, $36 million contract and can enter unrestricted free agency next summer. In his absence, Chicago has used Tre Jones and Ayo Dosunmu as starting backcourt options during the preseason.
Source: ESPN
