Though he's shown a lot of progression with his elbow rehabilitation, Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg still isn't ready to set a target date for Lauri Markkanen's return, according to a report from Kelly Crull.
“He won't be back before a week, that's the minimum,” coach Hoiberg told Crull during Wednesday's media availability. “A week would be Indiana, but again, we're just going to take this thing day by day & he'll get another good practice in tomorrow in Detroit.”
Markkanen participated in his first full-contact practice of this season on Tuesday. Following the session, the Finnish-born star noted that he felt comfortable after “shaking off the rust.” He also added that he felt no pain afterwards.
“Of course I got a little rust at the start, but as practice went on I started feeling comfortable again,” Markkanen told ESPN's Malika Andrews.
Though he was a rookie, Markkanen proved to be an important asset for the Bulls last season. In 68 games played (all starts), the former 7th overall pick racked up averages of 15.2 points on 43.4 percent shooting from the field (36.2 percent from beyond the arc), 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 29.7 minutes per outing.
While there is no set timetable for Markkanen's return, some reports have speculated that he could play as soon as Dec. 4 vs. the Indiana Pacers. Stay tuned.
The Bulls will be back in action on Wednesday night, as they're scheduled for a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off inside Fiserv Forum is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.
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