NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bulls confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that rookie Justin Lewis has suffered an ACL injury that will require surgery.
We first got word of a potentially serious injury to the 20-year-old on August 11th via NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson. Lewis apparently suffered the injury during a workout away from the team, and we now know it will cause him to remain sidelined indefinitely.
While Lewis – currently under a two-way contract – wasn’t expected to hold a substantial role for the team this season, there is no question he was an exciting young addition to this Bulls roster. We talked a little bit more about what his absence could mean in a recent morning bullets, and I’ll share a chunk from that post here:
Considering how injury prone this team turned out to be last year, I was looking forward to the little spurts we might get from Lewis this season. Not to mention, we all know the power forward position isn’t the deepest in Chicago, so it didn’t hurt to know someone with Lewis’ skillset could be waiting on the bench. The six-foot-seven forward might be a tad undersized, but he possesses great length and can play with a level of physicality the Bulls have recently lacked. He has the toughness to hand with bigger bodies but the quickness to switch onto smaller guards and wings. All things considered, he holds extremely intriguing two-way upside for an undrafted free agent, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he has a speedy recovery.
I’m hoping the Bulls remain committed to the Marquette standout, and he finds his way back on the floor soon.
You can view our original post on Lewis’ injury below.
It may be the offseason, but the Chicago Bulls’ injury trouble continues.
According to NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson, rookie Justin Lewis suffered a potentially serious knee injury while practicing away from the team.
Justin Lewis, an undrafted free agent whom the Chicago Bulls immediately moved to sign to a two-way contract, has suffered a knee injury and there is concern it could be diagnosed as a torn ACL, per sources.
The Bulls immediately signed Lewis to a two-way contract following the conclusion of the 2022 NBA Draft. He was considered by many to be worthy of a second-round pick, and ESPN listed him as the best available undrafted free agent once the final pick came off the board on June 24th.
While Lewis wasn’t expected to enter this season with any kind of consistent role, there was a real reason to believe the Bulls could have snagged a diamond in the rough. Not only did he impress at Summer League with his multi-positional defense, but he took a significant leap from his first season at Marquette to the next. Averaging 16.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, Lewis significantly improved his 3-point shot during the 2021-22 campaign and finished the year on the All-Big East First Team.
I was seriously looking forward to watching Lewis develop in the G-League and fight for a chance to prove his worth on this big league roster. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he still gets that chance and the injury isn’t as severe as initially reported, but there is no question this could be the first real bummer of the new season.
You can read Johnson’s initial report below:
