Forward Patrick Williams sat two lockers away from rookie Julian Phillips on Sunday, his phone in his hand, taping his teammate like a proud helicopter parent.
Phillips had just played his best game of the season, finishing with 11 points and two rebounds in the Bulls’ win against the Trail Blazers. His opportunity came as a result of the injury to Williams’ left foot that left him in a walking boot. On Tuesday, the team announced that Williams has acute bone edema, leaving him sidelined for at least the next two weeks.
Coach Billy Donovan said the next two weeks will be spent trying to get the swelling down in Williams’ foot. He added that Williams had been dealing with discomfort for several games.
The Bulls have seven games in the next two weeks leading up to the All-Star break. The hope is that Williams will be ready to go out of the break.
“After the break, I’m sure there will be a lot of treatment,” Donovan said. “There’s no games that time, which certainly helps. But there’s no timetable in terms of after the All-Star break or what game. There will have to be a ramp-up period, as it always is for these guys.”
In the meantime, those extra minutes will go to Phillips, at least in part.
Donovan said adjusting to the loss of Williams — they’re already without forward Torrey Craig, who was diagnosed with an acute sprain of his right plantar fascia — will come down to matchups.
He said he’s confident about inserting center Andre Drummond to play alongside big man Nikola Vucevic early in games. Drummond’s issue against the Trail Blazers was early foul trouble.
Then there’s always Alex Caruso, his trusted Swiss army knife, who has picked up positions one through five this season and locked them all down.
But without question, this will be an opportunity for Phillips to take a step forward and potentially move into a bigger role for the Bulls.
“I give him credit for keeping himself ready and giving us a really good boost off the bench,” Donovan said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him in terms of the way he has worked to prepare himself to get in there. Anytime somebody scores and makes some shots, it always looks good, but I also thought his activity was really good, as well.”
Staying ready
The Bulls have been hit hard by the injury bug this season.
Forward DeMar DeRozan is one player who historically has weathered the grind of an 82-game regular season better than most, and it’s not by accident. Donovan credited the 15-year NBA veteran’s fitness and durability to his commitment to doing the extra work.
He said the team returned to Chicago after its three-game West Coast road trip at 4 p.m., and DeRozan got in the cold tub and followed that up with more treatment. Donovan added it’s important for the younger players to see DeRozan’s work ethic. He said DeRozan is always willing to talk to his teammates about the importance of a routine sleep schedule, fueling your body right and not skipping out on the extra treatment.
“As these guys get old, they realize the most important commodity they have is their body,” Donovan said. “How they take care of their body is going to really have a huge impact on how long their career is.”
