The Chicago Bulls have been without the services of Lauri Markkanen through the early stages of this season, as the Finnish-born star is dealing with an elbow injury. Now, however, after returning to the practice floor in full, Markkanen gave an assessment on his elbow:
Lauri Markkanen: “I’m really excited. The elbow feels pretty good.”
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 27, 2018
Following Tuesday's practice session, Markkanen told reporters that his elbow didn't bother him while shooting, which is certainly a good sign. The youngster also noted that he's only lost a few of the 16 pounds of muscle that he gained over the offseason in this rehabilitation process:
Lauri Markkanen said he’s only lost a couple pounds of muscle from the 16 he added during offseason.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) November 27, 2018
While there is no official date set for Markkanen's return, several reports have indicated that he might be ready for action soon. In fact, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported that Markkanen could be available as soon as Dec. 4 vs. the Indiana Pacers.
Without a doubt, the Bulls would love to have Markkanen back, but they'll be careful in their approach to his return.
“Lauri had a great workout (Sunday),” Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg told the Chicago Tribune. “He did play two-on-two and he responded well this morning. He went through shootaround, got into our script offense segment. He was on the scout team again (Monday). And the plan is to have him a full participant in practice (Tuesday). Obviously, depending on how he does with that will determine how quickly we can get him back out on the floor.
“If he has soreness, we’ll slow it down a little bit,” Hoiberg added. “But he has passed every hurdle to this point. He has been medically cleared. He has done a lot of one-on-zero workouts, strength workouts, non-contact portions of practice, a controlled two-on-two and a full two-on-two with teammates.”
Though Markkanen seems to be on the fast-track to game action, Hoiberg notes:
“He’s going to need at least a week as far as getting back, getting practices under his belt,” Hoiberg told Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald. “This is not just going to be a one-day thing and then throw him out there.”
In his 68 appearances with the Bulls last season, Markkanen 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.
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. ET.
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