Based off of preseason expectations and the injury trouble that the Chicago Bulls have endured, it's pretty impressive how they have done so far this season. The year didn't get off to a hot start, but the Bulls are now 22-25 and in the hunt for a playoff spot. Injuries are once again a concern, however, as Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams are a couple of key players currently out for the Bulls. In their absence, other players will need to step up.

One player that could get some action because of recent injuries is forward Julian Phillips. Phillips is only averaging 5.3 minutes per game so far this season, so he hasn't gotten a lot of action, but the Bulls will need guys to step up in the next couple of weeks. Head coach Billy Donovan recently discussed his role.

“I think young guys, they’re going to have their ups and downs,” Billy Donovan said to the media on Tuesday. “[Julian Phillips] gave us a huge boost in the Portland game, he played really, really well. I give him a lot of credit from being down in Windy City and coming back up and keeping himself engaged and being ready. Sometimes for these young guys, they have to understand, 82 games is a lot of games. You can get caught up just where you’re at, and things can change. They changed for Ayo [Dosunmu] his rookie year. We never like to see any of our guys out and unavailable to play, but sometimes for younger players these situations create opportunities – and I give him credit for keeping himself ready and giving us a really good boost off the bench. So, I've got a lot of confidence in him in terms of the way he has worked to prepare himself to go in there. He did some good things. You know, obviously I think anytime somebody scores and makes some shots, it always looks good, but I also thought his activity was really good as well. He'll have some games when he doesn’t shoot particularly well, but I think his athleticism and his energy – if he can get that into the game on a regular basis – that will be just as equally as important to him making shots.”

It's going to be interesting to see how the Bulls will fare in the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to see if Phillips sees an increase in minutes.