Lauri Markkanen will return to the Chicago Bulls' starting lineup on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing the last 15 games with a pelvic stress reaction, according to the team.
Welcome back, @MarkkanenLauri!
Lauri will start tonight vs. Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/H0H7B1T6GF
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) March 4, 2020
The third-year forward will play 18-20 minutes tonight while center Wendell Carter Jr., who also recently returned from an extended absence will start and play between 22 and 24 minutes.
Otto Porter Jr., who had missed the past three months with a left foot injury and return earlier this week, will come off the bench and play 20-22 minutes, according to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
The Bulls have been tested by a series of injuries this season, now with almost every starter going down for a long stretch at one point or another.
Zach LaVine will likely miss the remainder of this week with a sore left quad, admitting it might take a few days to fully heal. The Bulls are starting to get their horses back, though they might have to wait until the end of March to get all their players playing regular minutes.
Before being sidelined in late January, Markkanen was averaging 15.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 43.4% from the floor and 36.2% from deep.
While only playing limited minutes in his return, the rules for Markkanen are rather simple in his first game back:
“Play hard, man. Rebound. Defend. Push the ball when you have an opportunity in the multi-handler system. Make good decisions. Just compete,” said head coach Jim Boylen following Wednesday’s morning shootaround at Target Center. “I want his compete level to be high, which I’m sure it will be. Everything else will fall into place.”
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