Bulls Face Injury Crisis After Josh Giddey, Coby White and Zach Collins Exit

A full-strength Bulls squad was intimidating, which the entire Bulls Nation could confidently point to as the reason for their turnaround from a seven-game skid to a rejuvenating 5-0 run. However, three major injury updates on Monday significantly derailed Chicago's momentum.

The Bulls lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 136-101, suffering their second straight defeat after their recent five-game winning streak since mid-December. With two major starters, Coby White and Josh Giddey, exiting early in the first and second half, respectively, the Bulls faltered completely in the rest of the game as the deficit once expanded to over 40 points.

White's right calf injury, which sidelined him for roughly the first month of the season (17 games), resurfaced during the Timberwolves game at the United Center. He limped off the court and headed to the locker room before the Bulls officially announced he wouldn't return.

Giddey also suffered a left hamstring injury after the Bulls confirmed White wouldn't return for the rest of the night, also limping to the locker room before being ruled out for the night.

Additionally, Zach Collins, who exited in the previous game against Milwaukee, was confirmed to have right toe soreness and was not expected to return this week, per Billy Donovan before the Timberwolves game.

After enduring an early-season stretch without White, Chicago now faces games ahead without two of its top playmakers and primary scoring threats. White and Giddey, who averaged 20.5 and 19.5 points, accounted for nearly 33% of the Bulls' points per game this season. When this backcourt duo played together, the Bulls went 8-8, with a 50% winning percentage.

Without White, the Bulls went a barely adequate 7-9 by far this season, with Giddey as the pillar in his breakout campaign that the team leaned on. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bulls have a surplus of 4.3 between team points and points allowed when Giddey plays this season, and they are expected to win ten more games with his growing efficiency. Now facing the situation without both essential starters, the shorthanded Bulls would have to be even better than above average to hold on until they recover.

Though the Bulls have a dynamic bench, which ranks second in bench scoring (44.8), the Monday blowout proves that the bench’s scoring couldn’t solve the problem all the time. Losing a key bench player like Collins, who averaged 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and shot 42.9% from deep, means a loss of size and scoring that supported the Bulls’ two ends – of course, the Collins-Smith two-big lineup might have to be haunted.

With no timetable provided for those on the injury list, the mounting injuries will negatively impact the team on both offense and defense. Beyond being a huge blow to team morale, the remaining crew will be tested significantly down the stretch – a collapse otherwise like the 0-7 hardship the Bulls experienced earlier this season.