Bulls G Kris Dunn could be out awhile with concussion symptoms, whiplash

Bulls guard Kris Dunn is “feeling a little bit better,” but his return from a concussion is far from imminent.

Coach Fred Hoiberg said Dunn still is suffering concussion symptoms — headaches, fatigue and grogginess — in addition to recovering from whiplash he suffered in a nasty face-first fall Jan.  17 against the Warriors.

“He’s still doing very limited physical activity,” Hoiberg said. “His symptoms really haven’t changed much. He’s still got headaches. He’s still tired. He’s groggy. That’s something that’s going to take awhile to get over, just based on the fall.

“Obviously, it was serious — the way he fell, we’re all thankful it wasn’t a more serious injury. But he had some whiplash and a lot of different things involved. The important thing is to take it slow, take the necessary steps to getting better, which involves a lot of rest and a lot of hydration to hopefully get back on the floor soon.”

Markkanen the man

Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, might end up being eclipsed by teammate Kyle Kuzma, who’s averaging 16.7 points and six rebounds. But Bulls rookie Lauri Markkanen, the seventh overall pick, has been even better than advertised.

Hoiberg was asked how the draft might go if it were held now.

“Lonzo’s a heck of a player — a guy that can put up triple-doubles and has great size and length,” Hoiberg said. “And he’s a really, really good playmaker/passer — I think that’s his biggest strength. As far as what the exact order of the draft would be today, I don’t know. But I know one thing — we wouldn’t trade our guy for anybody.”

Lakers coach Luke Walton, who, like Markkanen, played college ball at Arizona, is very familiar with Markkanen.

“Hey, he went to U of A — he’s great,” Walton said. “He’s a special player, especially in today’s game with being a big that can stretch the floor like that. He’s more athletic than I thought he was going to be at this level with some of his finishing around the rim and some of his rebounding.”

Sitting (ex) Bull

Former Bulls All-Star forward Luol Deng is stuck on the bench with the Lakers. Deng, 32, in his 13th NBA season, has been a healthy scratch for 46 games since playing 13 minutes in the season opener.

“It’s been hard. It’s not easy not to play,” Deng said. “I’m at practices, trying to help the young guys as much as I can. But I would love to play. I don’t know if it’ll be here. But the only way to answer to anything like this is by my game, not by my words. So I’m not really a guy that’s going to speak [out] and try to get people to feel for me.”

Said Walton: “Obviously it hasn’t been an ideal situation for him. He wants to play. But he’s been great. He’s been a complete professional about it. And he’s been helpful in the locker room.”

Follow me on Twitter @MarkPotash.

Email: mpotash@suntimes.com