The Chicago Bulls could start the play-in tournament without three of their point guards.
Lonzo Ball is not expected to be available for the play-in tournament. Josh Giddey is also questionable. And Tre Jones still hasn’t been cleared to remove a walking boot.
The potential of losing all three point guards for two knockout games places the Bulls at a steep disadvantage as they attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2022. They begin the play-in tournament at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, hosting the Miami Heat.
Giddey did not travel or play in Sunday’s regular-season finale on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers due to a forearm injury. He has been officially diagnosed with tendonitis in the right flexor carpi ulnaris, which essentially translates to pain and tightness on the exterior of his right forearm extending into his pinky finger.
Coach Billy Donovan said this injury has nagged Giddey throughout the season, but it tightened up significantly during the last week of the regular season. Recovery from this type of injury can be difficult to forecast.
Donovan said Giddey most likely would have attempted to play through pain Sunday if the Bulls were in a knockout game. However, he’s uncertain if the guard will be cleared for Wednesday’s play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat.
The injury has significantly impacted Giddey’s shooting — he shot 30.4% from 3-point range in his last six games.
“It’s a problem,” Donovan said. “He’s trying to manage it as best he can. I think that (medical staff) felt like, even for him, an extra day of rest would maybe help the healing process.”
Donovan was even more skeptical about Ball’s availability for the Bulls this week. Although the coach did not want to formally rule Ball out of either game, Donovan said the Bulls are currently focused on attempting to return Ball to the rotation in the playoffs if the team is able to advance.
Ball played only 35 games of the regular season despite making an unprecedented return from a two-season absence following a rare knee cartilage transplant. He suffered a right wrist sprain in an October game against Memphis that caused him to miss 14 games last fall and the final 21 games of the season.
After spending weeks in a wrist brace, Ball will return to basketball activities Monday. Due to his extensive absence, Donovan said the guard will need several days to fully ramp up to game-day availability — at which point he would still be playing under the minutes restriction required for his knee throughout this year.
“If he can get through that week and we’re fortunate enough to play beyond the play-in, that would be the goal,” Donovan said. “Unless there’s something that happens significantly between now and Wednesday, my feeling is he probably would not be available to that game. I’m not ruling it out, but that’s kind of where we’re at right now.”
Jones has been fully ruled out of the play-in tournament and is the least likely of the three players to return before the end of the season. He suffered a mid-foot sprain in March.
Jones will be an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of this season. The Bulls are fond of Jones after his short tenure with the team, but it’s unclear if space will be made for him next season on a guard-heavy roster.
