Injured from the first seconds during the clash between the Bulls and the Nets on Wednesday, Derrick Jones Jr. had immediately joined the locker room and concern was inevitable about the Chicago winger. Fortunately, the worst was avoided.
In view of the images, one could clearly fear a very serious injury to the ligaments of the knee. A knee that made a weird movement backwards on a support hold from DJJ, all this from the first minute of the Chicago – Brooklyn game. A pretty scary scene that immediately threw a cold on a United Center yet hot potato to encourage the Taureans against the band at Kevin Durant. And this Thursday, Shams Charania came to bring information about the injury of the man. Good news, at no time does the insider speak of « torn ACL Or something like that, Derrick Jones Jr.’s knee was not structurally damaged. DJJ ultimately suffers “only” from a bone contusion, and we clearly prefer that. As a result, the absence of the Bulls player is not counted in months but in weeks. How many exactly? According to Shams, we go on four to six weeks of absence for DJJ. Obviously, it remains a hard blow for the player and for the rotation of coach Billy Donovan, but tell yourself that it could have been much worse.
4 to 6 weeks of absence for Derrick Jones Jr, it’s hard but it’s rather a relief for those who saw the injury last night. It was creepy. https://t.co/meDCbnFLvH
– TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) January 13, 2022
This injury comes just as Derrick Jones Jr. began to string together tenures. Usually used off the bench since the start of the season, DJJ moved on to the five at the time of the transition to the New Year, an integration that coincides with the fact that Javonte Green is currently in the infirmary. because of a sore groin. With his 6.3 points (58.2% shooting), 3.4 rebounds and 0.7 against in just over 17 minutes per night this season, Derrick does not panic the counters but represents a piece that counts in the nice collective of the Bulls. If we know all his qualities as leaper (hi Aaron Gordon) which allow him to sometimes squat the Top 10, his defensive versatility and his scale are all elements that help the Bulls this year. Can even be used effectively on post 5 during certain sequences, DJJ does the job asked of him and also contributes to the big results of the Taureaux this year, they who are still leading the East (record of 27 victories – 12 losses) despite the beating received by the Nets yesterday, as well as the 12th best NBA defense.
He’s not the most prominent player in the Bulls, but Derrick Jones Jr. is valuable. While Javonte Green and Alex Caruso (COVID protocol) are still absent, Chicago would have been well without such a problem, however the franchise of Illinois can be happy with the final diagnosis concerning his player. Come on, four to six weeks isn’t that long.
Source texte : The Athletic
