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Jamal Collier
Chicago Bulls guard Coby White will miss at least two more weeks, including Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Detroit Pistons, as he continues to ramp up basketball activities following a right calf strain, the team announced Monday.
White has missed all of the preseason after injuring his calf during an offseason workout in August, but he practiced this past Saturday for the first time since the start of training camp. The team previously said they expected White to be ready for the start of the year, but White told reporters after practice over the weekend that he still needs to get his conditioning.
The team announced White will still continue on-court activities and that he is making progress in his ramp-up phase.
White, 25, has emerged as one of the team’s most reliable offensive players over the past two seasons since becoming a fixture in the starting backcourt. He averaged a career-high 20.4 points with 4.5 assists on 45% shooting and 37% from 3 in 74 games last season.
White is also entering the final year of a three-year, $36 million contract and can become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
In his absence, the Bulls have started both Tre Jones and Ayo Dosunmu in the backcourt during the preseason.