NEWSLETTER
I can’t believe it.
The Chicago Bulls announced on Tuesday night that forward Derrick Jones Jr. has fractured his right index finger and will have to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks.
Jones Jr. was already on the injury report due to a knee injury he suffered on January 12th. His return timeline for that injury sat at 2-4 weeks, but the Bulls will now have to wait even longer before they get back some much-needed frontcourt re-enforcement.
Injury Update: Derrick Jones Jr. fractured his right index finger earlier today while working out at the Advocate Center. Jones, sidelined since January 12, has been placed in a splint and is expected to return in 6-8 weeks.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 26, 2022
Jones Jr. is just the latest Bull to suffer an injury that will keep him out until at least March. Alex Caruso recently underwent surgery on his injured wrist and Lonzo Ball is supposed to undergo his surgery soon for an MCL in his knee. Patrick Williams has already been sidelined with a wrist injury since October.
The good news is that all of these players remain in line to return before the playoffs, and the Bulls did share in their press release that Jones could potentially return sooner than 6-to-8 weeks if he can manage to play with a protective splint. Still, a team once comfortably near the top of the Eastern Conference, the Bulls will have to battle over the next couple of months to stay in the mix due to a painfully unlucky number of injuries.
Jones was also one of the team’s better defenders, providing much-needed length and verticality in the frontcourt in the absence of Williams. The longer he is out the longer this team will have to search for answers at the power forward position.
