The disaster that has been the 2018-19 Chicago Bulls season took an unexpected turn this week, as promising rookie big man Wendell Carter suffered a left thumb injury. Carter hurt his thumb during the Bulls’ 107-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the penultimate game in a five-game west coast road trip that came to an end on Thursday.
The final game was against the Denver Nuggets, which the Bulls ended up losing by 30. Upon returning to Chicago, Carter had his hand examined, at which point it was revealed that the thumb sprain was actually a torn ligament. As such, the rookie will miss the next 8-12 months after undergoing surgery.
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It’s a brutal blow for the Bulls, which really can’t afford much more bad news this season. The thing that makes this twist particularly tough to swallow was that Carter received an MRI after suffering the injury, and on Wednesday, Chicago coach Jim Boylen announced that the injury was classified as day-to-day.
“Wendell has a sprained left thumb. His knee came through clear and feels good today. He is OUT for tonight and day-to-day.” Coach Boylen
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 17, 2019
Carter led the Bulls in appearances and starts prior to going down, starting all 44 games in which he saw the floor this season. The former Duke standout and No. 7 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft averaged 10.3 points and seven rebounds, along with a team-high 1.3 blocks, in 25.2 minutes per game. An 8-12 week timetable would mean Carter’s return is slated to occur in late-March or early-April, so it’ll be interesting to see if the Bulls try to get him back on the floor or shut him down for the remainder of the season.
