NEWSLETTER
One of the Chicago Bulls’ most important role players has yet to take the floor in 2023.
Javonte Green – the dirty work master – last took the court on New Year’s Eve in the Bulls’ 1-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Having dealt with knee issues in the weeks leading up, it wasn’t too big of a surprise when the organization finally announced that Green would undergo a minor knee surgery on Jan. 10.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski initially reported that the Bulls had optimism Green could return to the floor a month after the procedure. However, we’ve now passed that timetable by nearly two weeks, and there is still no set date for Green to rejoin the rotation.
Having said that, we did finally get some good news about Green’s recovery courtesy of Billy Donovan. The head coach told reporters after the team’s first post-All-Star-break practice that Green has started to trend in the right direction.
“Javonte I think continues to get better,” Donovan said. “He’s been introduced to some running. There is still a ramp-up period he needs to have before he can get back on the court and start doing things competitively and physically. But he is progressing in terms of his running.”
Look, after all the crappy Lonzo Ball updates, I’ll take whatever bit of post-knee-surgery positivity I can get. I know this doesn’t necessarily suggest that a Green return is around the corner, but it is at least reassuring to hear that he’s moving to the next step. It was also nice to see Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune share a brief video of him getting shots up after practice:
When asked when Green may be able to fully rejoin the team, Donovan implied that we might have to wait until mid-March: “I would say certainly a couple of weeks away before he can get back on the court in terms of the contact, playing,” Donovan said.
Assuming Green is on the sideline for only two more weeks, that would have him missing seven more games. The Bulls would then be down to just 16 regular season games left. While that isn’t the best news, I’ll take whatever bit of Green I can get over this final stretch. The Bulls will likely still be in the mix for a Play-In Tournament spot at that point, and Green’s high-energy two-way play could be an important part of securing a postseason berth.
