The absences are piling up in a big way of late for first-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls. As the Bulls get set to take on the offensively gifted Washington Wizards and the star duo of point guard Russell Westbrook and shooting guard Bradley Beal at home at the United Center on the night of Feb. 8, they will do so without a number of their key players.
The Bulls will be without the likes of fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen, third-year center Wendell Carter Jr., small forward Otto Porter Jr., and now even third-year small forward Chandler Hutchison, as they take on the Wizards early this week. Hutch is one of the latest additions to the list of absences for the Bulls on this night.
He will reportedly (Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic on Twitter) be out indefinitely due to “personal reasons”. The news of Hutch being out indefinitely along with OPJ’s injury issues resurfacing will really hurt the depth on the wing.
Billy Donovan says there is no timeline on Otto Porter Jr.’s return to the lineup.
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) February 8, 2021
Chandler Hutchison (personal reasons) is out indefinitely.
As the Bulls are pretty thin on the wing as is, losing two of their top small forwards is going to really open up a void in this portion of the rotation. Rookie forward Patrick Williams is going to have a lot more pressure on his shoulders to thrive at the three, and Donovan will have to get creative with the rest of his wing rotation.
What Chicago Bulls are missing in Hutch
But it is surprising that this Hutch news surfaced on the late afternoon of Feb. 8. Hutch is the 22nd overall pick of the Bulls in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft, out of Boise State. The 6-foot-6 and 210 pound 24-year-old wing didn’t get much playing time before this absence, though.
So far this season, Hutch has played in seven games for the Bulls (none of which he’s started in), averaging around nine minutes on the floor per game. And he’s averaged 1.9 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.1 steals, and no blocks. Hutch shot 27.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and is perfect from the charity stripe.
The first game that Hutch is officially out for after this report dropped early this week is against the Wizards at home on Feb. 8. The Bulls are set to tip off against the Wizards at 7 p.m. CT at the United Center.
The last game that the Bulls played in resulted in a big 118-92 win over the Orlando Magic on the road on Feb. 6. They will now carry a record of 9-13 into this meeting with the Wizards, where they will be pretty shorthanded.