A rough 2018-19 season for the Chicago Bulls might just be getting worse. During their Saturday night game against the Boston Celtics, they lost small forward Otto Porter Jr. to a leg strain.
The Bulls confirmed the development on Twitter, confirming that Porter has been ruled out for the rest of the night.
INJURY UPDATE: Otto Porter Jr. has a left lower leg strain and will not return to tonight's game.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 24, 2019
Otto Porter Jr. played 14 minutes and tallied three rebounds and three assists before his early exit. On the season, the 25-year-old has averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 47.4 percent.
The Bulls acquired Porter Jr. from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker. Since the February 6 trade, Porter Jr. has been fantastic for Chicago, averaging 21.4 points and shooting 57.5 percent over five games.
Chicago is also missing promising talents Chandler Hutchison and Wendell Carter Jr. due to injuries. If Otto Porter Jr. is forced to miss a substantial amount of time, the team could fill in with some combination of Wayne Selden Jr., Ryan Arcidiacono and Shaquille Harrison.
Even when healthy, the Bulls have been dreadful this season. At 15-44 they hold the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference and the fourth-worst in the NBA.
However, the loss of Porter Jr. might actually help the Bulls. With such a horrible record, losing one of their best players could help the team tank for a chance at a better draft position. They are only two games better than the third-worst Cleveland Cavaliers.
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