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The Chicago Bulls are starting to prepare for the return of Coby White from a strained calf injury. The Bulls made another decision that is geared toward clearing White to make his season debut soon. According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, the Bulls have assigned White to the Windy City Bulls in the NBA G League, along with rookie Noa Essengue. Both players are expected to be part of the team’s practices at the Advocate Center. Johnson added that it’s part of Chicago’s plan to ramp up White ahead of his return from a calf injury. Essengue, on the other hand, is getting more minutes to continue his development, which could lead to his possible Bulls debut, as per Max Holbrook of Pippen Ain’t Easy. White suffered the calf injury during an offseason workout in August. The injury prevented him from being part of the team’s training camp. He also missed the preseason and the first three weeks of the season and counting. The 25-year-old guard was initially ruled out for the first two weeks of the campaign, but the Bulls decided to take a more cautious approach. White’s Possible Return Timeline In an interview with The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi last week, Coby White revealed that his potential return could happen between November 16 and 19. He called that stretch of games the “what I’ve been told” timeline for his season debut. He also shared that he will be practicing with his teammates next week. The Chicago Bulls are going to be on the road for the dates mentioned by White. They will face the Utah Jazz on November 16, the Denver Nuggets on November 17 and the Portland Trail Blazers on November 19. They begin that four-game road trip on November 12 against the Detroit Pistons. Bulls coach Billy Donovan expressed concern about White’s recovery toward the end of October. Donovan told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the star guard was no longer feeling any pain, but he was worried about the adjustments to the speed of the game. Muscle-related injuries are no joke and unpredictable, with the Phoenix Suns‘ Jalen Green as a prime example. Green had a hamstring strain and was cleared to return recently, but he re-aggravated it after just two games. White Feeling Confident About Bulls’ Strong Start The Chicago Bulls are one of the most surprising teams of the season. They are currently 6-4, though at one point they had a 6-1 record last week and were atop the Eastern Conference standings for a quick second. Speaking to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune, White was feeling confident about the Bulls’ strong start to the season. He doesn’t think that it’s a fluke considering the teams they have beaten so far. He also credited coach Billy Donovan for building a culture around the younger players. “Like every other thing in life, it’s going to take time, right?. You can’t flip a switch. Building a culture takes time. Building the way you want to play takes time. Building an identity takes time. The past couple of years, we’ve been working toward this. This year, it’s starting to come into fruition on the court. This didn’t happen overnight,” White said. White is coming off his best season, averaging 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 74 games. He turned down an extension from the Bulls this past offseason. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
