According to the Sun-Times’ Joe Cowley, Nikola Vucevic will return to the floor tonight after a seven-game absence.
We got our first indication that a Vucevic return could be the horizon when head coach Billy Donovan told reporters on Monday that he would travel with the team. Then, Vucevic was upgraded to questionable on Tuesday for the first time since he entered Health & Safety Protocols on November 11th. Cowley now reports that Vucevic did go through shootaround in Houston, and the medical staff gave him the green light to get back on the court.
Vooch will play tonight … limited minutes … wants to give it a run since he's been cleared. Said it's been tough to sit and miss this amount of time.
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) November 24, 2021
Vooch went through shoot, had a meeting with Billy Donovan and medical on the court, and came away with the news he wanted.
— Joe Cowley (@JCowleyHoops) November 24, 2021
Cowley did add that the expectation is for Vucevic to see limited minutes. And, considering this is his first game back in 13 days, that makes plenty of sense. Donovan will not only want to make sure Vucevic’s conditioning looks back up to speed, but there is also no need to rush him back when we consider the opponent is the 1-16 Rockets. No, I’m not saying the Bulls should take any team lightly, but if they can handle a five-game Western Conference road trip without the big man, they should be able to handle this Rockets team with limited Vooch minutes.
The only news we are waiting for now is what happens with Alex Caruso’s status. Cowley said he was getting shots up with the team this morning, but he also had a brace on his wrist.