On Wednesday, the Chicago Bulls keep Coby White became the latest player to take the court awkwardly while trying to play in transition. After facing two Indiana Pacers defenders on the court for a layup attempt, White hit the ground as Pascal Siakam fell on him. White’s leg bent unnaturally. Immediately after the play, it looked like he might miss a lengthy recovery period.
This is the piece he was injured on pic.twitter.com/dD4Cse5eKv
– ChicagoBullsCentral (@BullsCentraI) March 14, 2024
However, according to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, White escaped the game with a mild hip strain. The fifth-year professional could return to the field as early as Saturday, he reports.
Coby White keeps playoff and awards hopes alive
White will miss at least one game as the Bulls face the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Still, this is major news for both White and the team.
A projected finalist for the Most Improved Player Award, White has already passed the 65-game threshold to receive a league honor. Still, White faces strong competition for the price, even with the Houston Rockets center. Alperen Sengun is likely to miss the rest of the regular season with a serious ankle sprain.
Race for Most Improved Player Award
Philadelphia 76ers Guard Tyrese Maxey hit the court like wildfire to start the season, averaging 30.3 points and 6.3 assists per game in October. His numbers have cooled since then, but he’s still hot, averaging 25.9 points and 6.2 assists per game. With Maxey, context is almost as important as numbers. Replacement James Harden After the three-time scoring champion forced a trade with the Clippers, his play was invaluable in their run to the NBA Finals.
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas essentially doubled his scoring average between last season (10.6) and this season (21.3). Like White, Thomas also overcoming significant adversity before its breakout season. Once classified as a sixth man archetype, he is working to become more well-rounded, making big strides as a two-way playmaker.
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga We could also hear his name announced as the winner. While playing a career-high 26.0 minutes per game, he is averaging 16.1 points per game. In the 38 games he started, he averaged 17.4 points per game. Even more remarkable, the Warriors are 22-16 since promotion in the first unit but only 34-31 (10th in the West) over the season.
Playoff photo
As for the Bulls, they sit at 32-34, ninth in the East.
Although 6.0 games ahead of the 11th-place Nets (26-40), their squad has already been decimated by injuries. They could very well fall out of the playoffs if White is out for an extended period of time. The 24-year-old is averaging 19.5 points and 5.2 assists per game this season while shooting 38.8 percent from 3. He is also the league leader in minutes played with 2,425.
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