NEWSLETTER
Removing Coby White’s shoulder recovery from the equation, the Chicago Bulls injury report was clean heading into tonight’s battle in Toronto … until 9:30 a.m. CT.
The latest report from the league lists Nikola Vucevic as questionable for the game in Toronto with an illness. Considering the team’s lack of depth at the center position, and the already undersized nature of the roster, a Vucevic absence for even one night could prove quite problematic.
Toronto might be off to a slow start offensively, but the team has been the third-best rebounding squad in the league over the first week of the season (first in offensive rebounds). The frontcourt presence of players like Scottie Barnes, Precious Achiwua, and Chris Boucher gives this team multiple physical bodies to attack the glass. Vucevic is not only the team’s biggest player, but his rebounding prowess (averaging 12.7 over his first three games) helps his teammates run the kind of get-it-and-go offense that fits them so well.
Fortunately, it’s just a questionable designation for now, so we’ll keep an eye on where things go. Alize Johnson has been the primary backup to Vucevic off the bench thus far. The question would be whether or not Donovan would simply plug him into the starting lineup or keep him in his current role off the bench while finally handing big man Tony Bradley a more sizable workload. Let’s hope Donovan has to do neither!
