Lauri Markkanen has received permission from the Chicago Bulls doctors to return to the floor and participate in training without restriction. The Finn is now on the verge of his season debut.
“Lauri is thrilled, his teammates are thrilled and his coaches are definitely thrilled,” Head Coach Fred Hoiberg told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Markkanen had injured his elbow in the first week of the training camp and has been out ever since. Now the 21-year-old apparently doesn’t have to wait long for his comeback.
“We’ll watch from day to day,” said Hoiberg. “If he’s in pain, we’ll take him back a little, of course, but if he keeps making progress, we can send him back to the court soon.”
Although the Bulls coach did not yet want to announce an exact date for the Markkanen comeback, it seems possible that the Big Man could make his season debut next Tuesday in the game against the Indiana Pacers.
The 7th pick of Draft 2017 averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds last season and was voted into the All-Rookie-First-Team at the end of the season.