Coby White avoids severe injury, diagnosed with a mild hip strain

The Bulls and their fans heaved a sigh of relief with this development.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bulls dodged a bullet on Thursday with the news of star guard Coby White suffering only a mild right hip injury. The fortunate development came to be after the former Tar Heel underwent tests to determine the severity of the injury he suffered late in the contest against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Awkward fall

The injury occurred as White soared for a layup that would have given the Bulls the lead with only five seconds left in the game. However, Pacers big man Pascal Siakam chased White and swatted the ball away. Unfortunately, Siakam landed on White, whose leg bore the brunt of the awkward fall.

The injury initially looked much worse as White writhed in pain on the court, clutching his knee. This prompted immediate concerns for the young guard, who has been a key factor in the Bulls' recent success. However, after being helped off the floor and receiving treatment from team trainers, White was his usual jovial self in the locker room after the game.

As for when White may be able to return to action, Donovan explained that it all comes down to the guard’s comfort level.

"It's probably going to be when he can start to feel comfortable to get back to playing," Donovan said.

"All the imaging came back relatively clean. He is dealing with discomfort and soreness there. So it's just a matter of how quickly and soon he can get over that."

Chicago Bulls G Coby White’s MRI revealed a mild hip strain, sources tell ESPN. White - a Most Improved Player candidate — has averaged 19.7 points and 5.2 assists and could return to lineup as soon as Saturday vs. Wizards.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 14, 2024

Donovan feared the worst

With All-Star Zach LaVine and promising forward Patrick Williams already sidelined for the remainder of the season, the Bulls did not need another injury to one of their key players.

But when Coby White went down, head coach Billy Donovan couldn’t help but fear the worst.

"Initially, I thought it was his knee that I first saw him grab. And then after he got up and left, I talked to the trainer, and he said it was his hip," Donovan said.

"He was in some pretty significant pain right when it occurred, and then he was in pain afterward. When you see a guy go down with that kind of force on top of him, you worry about this thing could be a lot worse. In some ways, we escaped a bullet there, so to speak, that it wasn't something more significant or severe."

Coby White fell down hard and appears to injure his right leg on the awkward landing.

Hope the Bulls guard is okay 🙏🏽https://t.co/yA7p7Fesd1

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 14, 2024

What we learned from Chicago Bulls' latest loss to Los Angeles Clippers