CHICAGO – Already the Bulls were going to be without one of their younger standouts to begin the 2021-2022 season, but on Friday they found out they’ll be without another.
Forward Patrick Williams will have a late start to his second season after suffering a severe left ankle sprain in an option individual workout. The injury will keep him out 4-to-6 weeks, which brings him back on the court in early-to-mid November.
Coby White, who suffered a shoulder injury over the summer, is expected to return in full about the same time in November. Per the Bulls, he will take part in non-contact drills during the team’s training camp which starts next Tuesday.
The Bulls open up the 2021-2022 season against the Pistons in Detroit on October 20th.
The fourth-overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Williams started 71 games in his rookie season, averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He took part in the Bulls’ summer league in Las Vegas and played well, with high hopes that he could continue to improve his game around a core of veteran acquisitions made this summer.
White’s update comes after he underwent left shoulder surgery in mid-June following an injury during a non-team related activity. In his second year with the Bulls, he’s averaged 14.2 points and 3.8 assists in 134 games, with 15.1 points, 4.8 assist average in 69 games in the 2020-2021 season.
