Bulls making some progress in health department
It was subtle, but at least it was progress.
At this point, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan will take it.
Hours before the game Sunday against the Warriors, forwards Isaac Okoro (back) and Jalen Smith (left hamstring) and guard Kevin Huerter (adductor) were getting in some work on the court.
All are missed, but Okoro might have the biggest impact because of the physicality he brings to a team that too often lacks it and because he often guards the opposition’s best wing player.
The Bulls entered the game 1-6 without Okoro and have looked awful defensively. The fact that Okoro, who was acquired from the Cavaliers in the Lonzo Ball trade during the offseason, was working out and would have four days until the next game to try to get ready was all Donovan could hope for.
‘‘Certainly, the four days coming up will be helpful to them,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘I feel like all those guys are improving, but the only thing I don’t know in speaking to Isaac a little bit is we’re going to have to see in practices what happens if he goes up for a rebound and he reaches back.’’
Okoro’s back issue has been tricky because it seems to be a pinched nerve, so pain shoots down his leg when he moves a certain way, Donovan said. Even if he gets through the next four days and feels better, does that mean he’ll be game-ready?
‘‘He has made progress and has felt better, but he still feels like when he goes back, he still feels it there,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘Some of those symptoms have subsided, but the hardest part for me is . . . they’re all going to need some ramp-up. Even if they’re feeling really good, I don’t know if the medical guys are going to say, ‘OK, you’re fine,’ and throw them right back into a game.’’
Summer school
Rookie forward Noa Essengue confirmed everything Donovan said about his season-ending shoulder surgery, which is scheduled for Wednesday. Essengue reiterated it was his decision.
‘‘If I waited until the end of the season, I would be gone all summer,’’ he said. ‘‘And if I do it now, I can have all summer.’’
Essengue, whom the Bulls drafted No. 12 overall in June, said it was the second time he had dislocated the shoulder. He got multiple medical opinions and was told it would continue happening unless he had it repaired.
Considering he really wasn’t a part of the Bulls’ immediate plans, it made more sense for him to treat the 2025-26 season more like a redshirt year and get ready to use the summer to work on his game after he has healed.
He’s a gamer
Guard Ayo Dosunmu missed the Bulls’ loss Friday to the Pacers with a sprained right thumb and was listed as questionable for the game against the Warriors. Still, he opted to give it a go.
Dosunmu, who will be eligible for free agency after the season, entered the game averaging a career-high 15.8 points, despite battling issues with both thumbs since training camp.