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Zach LaVine may also miss Friday's game vs. Washington Wizards
The Chicago Bulls' All-Star wingman Zach LaVine will likely miss their game against the Washington Wizards on Friday night. This comes after he missed the season-opener against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
Should the Bulls be concerned?
LaVine asserted that his absence from the team's 116-108 win was not caused by a new injury but rather, management purposes of his knee, which underwent surgery during the offseason. In fact, the high-flyer could only get back to playing 5-on-5 during the team's training camp.
However, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan had a different take, saying LaVine was feeling some discomfort in his knee.
"There was a lot of very, very physically demanding practices, to be quite honest with you, coming out of the Milwaukee game. And I think after a few of those, he felt some discomfort," said Donovan.
The Bulls are not taking any chances with their star player, and LaVine will likely miss a second straight game. He is, however, expected to suit up during their home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
Precautionary measures
Donovan explained that with the heavy load that LaVine has to carry, coupled with the Bulls' cramped schedule early in the season, they want to be extra careful with the 27-year-old's knee.
"We've got seven games in 11 days. He's gonna play a part in that, and how do we get him back feeling good again. It's not a long-term thing where he's out for weeks or he re-injured his knee and there's a problem there," the Bulls head coach said.
As a result, Donovan relayed that they would assess LaVine's condition daily to see how his knee responds.
"We've gotta take, obviously, his temperature to see where he's at. But as the season starts to unfold, they'll get a better idea of how he's responding to certain kind of loads, and then maybe managing it," Donovan said.
