(670 The Score) Bulls rookie forward Chandler Hutchison will be for at least the next three weeks and probably longer after suffering an acute injury to a sesamoid bone in his right foot, the team announced Saturday afternoon.
Hutchison will be in a walking boot for the next two to four weeks and will be re-evaluted after the All-Star break, at which point the team figures to know more about his timetable. The All-Star Game is on Feb. 17.
Hutchison suffered the injury in the Bulls' loss to the Hawks on Wednesday night, a game he finished. Hutchison then played 41 minutes in Chicago's 106-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, a game in which he recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. After the game, he had X-rays, then had an MRI on Saturday morning.
Hutchison is averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 44 games, including 14 starts. He took over the starting small forward role shortly after Justin Holiday was traded to the Grizzlies on Jan. 3.
Hutchison is just the latest in a long line of Bulls to encounter health woes. Lauri Markkanen (elbow), Zach LaVine (ankle), Wendell Carter Jr. (thumb), Kris Dunn (knee), Bobby Portis (ankle, knee) and Denzel Valentine (ankle) have missed significant time with injuries. Carter is likely out for the remainder of the season, while Valentine is missing the entire season because of ankle reconstruction surgery.
