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The hits just keep coming for the Chicago Bulls.
They were already without Zach LaVine and Patrick Williams, and potentially without Ayo Dosunmu and Andre Drummond for their Play-In Tournament matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Bulls announced rookie swingman Onuralp Bitim will miss the remainder of the campaign with an eye injury.
“Injury Update: Bulls forward Onuralp Bitim has been diagnosed with a detached retina in his right eye and will be out for the remainder of the postseason,” read the official press release on X on April 16.
Bitim, 25, is in his first NBA season.
But his wealth of experience overseas led to a strong stint in the G League and, ultimately, a standard contract with the Bulls.
Bulls Benefitted From Onuralp Bitim
The Bulls listed Bitim as questionable for the Bulls’ regular season finale against the New York Knicks on April 14 and ended up missing that contest. Even that was because of Head Coach Billy Donovan’s discretion, though.
There was no additional information from the team about the injury.
Bitim is averaging 3.5 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 27.3% from beyond the arc, far from ideal for a player billed as a strong shooter. But he began his NBA tenure with promise, averaging 5.9 points and shooting 34.5% from deep in the 11 games after making his debut.
He averaged over 17 minutes per game during that span, though.
He only met or surpassed that mark once in his final 10 appearances – a start against the Washington Wizards in the penultimate game of the season.
Javonte Green’s return after working his way back from a knee injury played a part in Bitim’s playing time diminishing. But the Bulls were notably 7-4 when Bitim saw heavy minutes and went 4-6 when he played in that latter stretch.
They will miss his athleticism in addition to his willingness to shoot from the perimeter too.
Bulls Alex Caruso Measured in Approach to Team USA
Bitim’s absence will mean more on the plate of players like Alex Caruso. Donovan is generally cautious about overusing Caruso, though this is the time of year to lean on him. And it appears they don’t have to worry about leaving as much gas in the tank for this summer.
Caruso was not named to Team USA’s roster. While it may have been a long shot with rumors of a star-studded group eyeing the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics circulating for months.
Still, Caruso was hopeful when there appeared to be a spot open.
“It’s hard to make the case over any of [the other candidates,” Caruso said, per NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson on April 16. “Obviously, I feel I’m elite at what I do and feel there’s some value to that. But ultimately that’s not my decision. I’ll be happy if they call me and, if not, I’ll be cheering from home.”
The 2023 First-Team All-Defensive team selection could take home similar honors after this season. He and the team would surely trade that for an extended postseason run, though.
They will have to get through the Hawks in the Play-In Tournament first.
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