Head coach Jim Boylen announced earlier today that Chandler Hutchison (shoulder) and Otto Porter (foot) will be receiving a follow-up MRI today.
While both players will remain out for tonight’s game against the Grizzlies, the hope is that this could give us an actual timetable for each player’s return.
Per Coach Boylen, Porter will have a follow-up MRI today. Hutchison is out vs. Grizzlies and will do another MRI today. pic.twitter.com/63uzsm29yA
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 4, 2019
Hutchison has appeared in only nine games this season, already experiencing a fair share of injury trouble (he didn’t clock any minutes until the Bulls eighth game of the season after suffering a hamstring injury).
He then played in the team’s next seven games (starting five of them), before suffering shin splints. He sat on the bench for three more games until checking in against the Portland Trail Blazers for approximately 8 minutes. In the following game, he earned the start only to play roughly two minutes before leaving the game with a shoulder injury.
Ouch. Talk about a rough start to your second year in the league.
Hutchison’s inability to stay on the floor has only added more frustration to the prolonged absence of Porter. The Bulls veteran forward hasn’t played in a game since November 6th against the Atlanta Hawks. Porter left that game with a foot injury that two MRI’s later proved to be a bone bruise. To say the least, his road to recovery has been slow.
NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson spoke with Porter earlier this week, who was looking forward to today’s MRI test.
“I have no idea about coming back sooner or later,” Porter told Johnson. “The new MRI I’m supposed to be taking is just supposed to see how far along I’ve come. It will eliminate any other things that might’ve happened as far as like tissue and stuff like that. Looking forward to it.”
The Bulls schedule will be ramping up before we know it, so getting Porter back on the floor is likely at the top of the to-do list.
Fortunately for Chicago though, they’re at least battling a team that’s similarly struggling in the injury department at the moment. The Memphis Grizzlies are missing their first-round draft picks, Ja Morant (back) and Brandon Clarke (oblique). While neither player’s injury appears as serious as Hutchison and Porter’s the Grizzlies have listed both players as week-to-week.
Morant has been leading the team in scoring (18.6 points per game) and assists (6.4). He also can casually sink deep 3-pointers even with a back injury.
No @JaMorant tonight but he is out here nailing 40 footers. There was one more… 3 in a row. pic.twitter.com/AL0Zz8SKXn
— Mark Carman (@thecarm) December 4, 2019
Clarke, on the other hand, has been the team’s most efficient scorer with a 63.0 percent field-goal percentage and he’s also been the team’s third-best rebounder (5.9).
The Bulls already took down the Grizzlies once this season (ah, remember the good old days when the team was 1-1?), but taking down shorthanded squads hasn’t been this team’s specialty. If the Bulls can pull out the win though, they’ll have six-straight wins against the Griz!
The Bulls have won 5 straight games over the Grizzlies, and are looking for a third straight season series sweep.
Pregame starts at 6:45 on @670TheScore.
— Jeff Mangurten (@JeffGurt) December 4, 2019
Hutchison and Porter Being Re-Evaluated While Memphis Will Be Without Morant and Clarke Tonight