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Update: DeRozan has been formally ruled out for Wednesday’s contest against Washington.
Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful for Wednesday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards, which means he’s unlikely to suit up for this clash. DeRozan has been dealing with a quad injury all season and it has not been deemed as a big issue, but he’s set to miss his first game because of the injury.
Bulls have downgraded DeMar DeRozan to doubtful vs. Wizards. DeRozan hasn’t missed a game this season and quad strain isn’t being classified as long-term issue as of now.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) January 11, 2023
With DeRozan likely to sit, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic become Chicago’s top offensive options. LaVine and Vucevic already take a high volume of the Bulls’ shots, but they’ll likely see even more volume Wednesday with DeRozan out. Coby White is a natural candidate to get some additional minutes, but he’s unlikely to start in this game ahead of Alex Caruso. The Bulls could also line up with LaVine as the point guard, which would free up White to be with him in the backcourt and keeps Caruso on the wing.
DeRozan is averaging 26.1 points, 4.9 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game and is actually shooting in line with his percentages last year. The dropoff hasn’t been substantial, which makes it perplexing as to why the Bulls are struggling to maintain a .500 mark.