4. Wendell Carter Jr. is limited the entire preseason
Potentially the most concerning injury throughout the preseason slate thus far for the Chicago Bulls went to second-year center Wendell Carter Jr. The Bulls had a laundry list of injuries through less than one full week of Training Camp and before the preseason slate even tips off next Monday.
The two injuries that Carter Jr. suffered so far were a slight ankle sprain (at least it seems) and a tailbone contusion. Since he missed roughly half of his rookie season, Carter Jr. won’t get much leeway in terms of load management in his second year. The coaching staff should be keeping a very close eye on him from here on out.
It also wasn’t just Carter Jr. that had injury problems thus far. Former New York Knicks center Luke Kornet and rookie former Arkansas Razorbacks big man Daniel Gafford both had their own various injury concerns in Training Camp earlier this week. Kornet is dealing with turf toe and Gafford had a hyperextended elbow.
However, keeping Carter Jr. healthy and ready for the tip off of the coming regular season is important to getting off to a good start overall. The Bulls have a solid shot at starting out 2-0 with the first two games coming against the Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies. But the Bulls need to be stocked and loaded in the frontcourt to face the Hornets and Grizzlies, both on the road.