Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. will make his preseason debut against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday after missing the first three preseason contests:

Carter entered training camp 100% healthy after undergoing core muscle surgery in the offseason. However, the second-year big man suffered an ankle injury on the first day of camp and then a bruised tailbone, which is what kept him out of the Bulls' first three preseason games.

Carter's rookie season was curt short by wrist surgery, so it has been an injury-filled career thus far for the youngster out of Duke. In 44 games in 2018-19, he averaged 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 blocks in 25.2 minutes per game.

The Bulls are counting on Carter to be their defensive anchor in the middle. Chicago was one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season, and that will have to improve if the club is going to make a big jump into the playoff conversation. The 20-year-old will play a big role in those efforts.

The Bulls declared they're thinking postseason at the beginning of camp. They were lauded for a stellar offseason, which included drafting Coby White with the No. 7 overall pick and acquiring Thaddeus Young, Tomas Satoransky and Luke Kornet. These additions to a promising young core that features Wendell Carter Jr., Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen should have Chicago in a much better position after a disastrous 2018-19 campaign.