The Chicago Bulls enter the postseason with two looming questions — the availability of center Andre Drummond and guard Ayo Dosunmu remains uncertain ahead of Wednesday’s play-in tournament matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
Both players were sidelined for the final week of the regular season. The Bulls will host Atlanta at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the United Center.
Drummond suffered an ankle sprain in the final home game of the season against the New York Knicks last Wednesday. He traveled with the team to last weekend’s road games in Detroit, Washington and New York, utilizing a walking boot and a mobility scooter to limit impact on his ankle during that time. Coach Billy Donovan said Drummond participated in light exercises on Monday — a non-practice day for the Bulls — but did not practice with the team on Tuesday.
Donovan was uncertain after Tuesday’s practice whether Drummond would be available for Wednesday’s game. And he was similarly uncertain whether Dosunmu would be cleared for Wednesday’s game after missing the last four games with a thigh contusion from being kneed during a road game against the Orlando Magic. The team also announced Tuesday that guard Onuralp Bitim is out for the postseason with a detached retina in his right eye.
Dosunmu engaged in limited practice activities on Tuesday, but he still has not passed the final test to be cleared — running at a full sprint. He requested a two-minute scrimmage with player development staff after Tuesday’s practice, which allowed him to test his conditioning after four games out of the rotation.
“I wanted to try to get an assessment of how I’m feeling,” Dosunmu said. “If I play tomorrow, I didn’t want it to be my first time playing.”
Although Dosunmu said he “felt better” during that short scrimmage, it was clear his conditioning was not in its typical form as he attempted to keep up with staffers while running the full court.
Donovan cited this as his greatest worry — for Drummond as well as Dosunmu — after a player has gone at least a full week without competitive full-court minutes.
“My concern is the fact that he hasn’t done anything in days,” Donovan said. “Two minutes of running up and down with some of the player development guys — that’s not a really good sample size for someone who’s missed several days. I feel confident that if he’s out there cleared to go, that he’s safe to do so. But what I don’t know is, what is he actually able to do?”
Losing either player would be a significant blow — especially for Wednesday’s matchup against Atlanta.
Dosunmu has always provided a strong defensive solution to Trae Young, who he consistently locks down through a combination of his length and savvy along the perimeter. And his 3-point production has been key throughout this season for the Bulls, who will be at a disadvantage if Wednesday’s game comes down to a shootout.
Drummond is equally important for the Bulls, providing a major boost on the boards against an undersized Hawks team that will rely almost entirely on Clint Capela in the paint. For the Bulls, Drummond’s absence would also be concerning if it extended into the second round of the play-in tournament, which could feature top bigs like Bam Adebayo and Joel Embiid.
The decision could come down to the final hour before tipoff of Wednesday’s single-elimination game.
