The Chicago Bulls are facing some tough news as forward Patrick Williams will be out for at least a week. He’s dealing with some swelling in his foot, which was previously surgically repaired.
Coach Billy Donovan shared this update on Wednesday, saying they’re giving Williams some time to rest and let the inflammation settle down.
Williams had a challenging season last year, playing only 43 games before needing surgery on his foot in February.
He showed up on the injury report this week but still played 31 minutes in the Bulls’ win against the Detroit Pistons, even though he started feeling pain during the game. Donovan explained that Williams noticed discomfort at halftime and the pain got worse after the game.
Instead of joining the team in Milwaukee, Williams stayed in Chicago for more tests and imaging on his foot.
The team believes the issue might have been caused by a heavy early schedule, especially since Williams wasn’t able to play full-court basketball for most of the summer while recovering. So far this season, Williams has been averaging 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, and he’s started in 15 games.
The Bulls are also going to be without guard Lonzo Ball for at least another week. Ball is still rehabbing a sprained right wrist.
He tried doing some basketball activities last week while in New York, but it still hurt when he tried to catch passes.
Donovan said Ball will try to push himself a little more next week and see how his wrist feels. Hopefully, he’ll be able to do more, like handling the ball and shooting, by the middle of next week.
