Although he hasn't been listed on the team's injury report as of late, Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen has reportedly been dealing with a sore oblique for the past two weeks. Monday was the first time the team revealed his ailment, according to a report from K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.

As a precautionary measure, the Bulls elected to hold Markannen out of the contact portions of Monday's practice session. At this point, he's still listed as available for Tuesday night's game against the Knicks, but he could be placed on a minutes restriction.

Markkanen has struggled a bit through the early stages of this season, recording single-digit point totals in three games. News of his oblique soreness helps to explain his sub-par production.

In his 10 appearances with the Bulls this season (all starts), Markkanen has racked up averages of 14.9 points on 38.5 percent shooting from the field (27.9 percent from beyond the arc), 7.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steal in 30.5 minutes per outing.

The Bulls have recorded a 3-7 record through their first ten games of this season. In Saturday's blowout loss to the Houston Rockets, Chicago went just 4-for-32 from 3-point range. Clearly, there is room for improvement in that department.

“I know how well we can shoot and tonight we just didn't make them,” Markkanen told ESPN after Saturday's loss.

Tuesday night's Bulls-Knicks matchup is set to tip inside the United Center at 8:00 p.m. ET.