Bulls say LaVine on track to return within week

PHILADELPHIA — Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan said All-Star guard Zach LaVine has a “realistic” chance at returning from a sore right foot within the next week, possibly as soon as Friday’s home game against the Charlotte Hornets.

LaVine has missed the past 15 games with the injury.

“I don’t know what the exact date’s gonna be, but the way he’s progressing right now and the fact that he’s in full-fledged contact, [it’s] very, very positive,” Donovan said before Tuesday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

“I don’t know what the medical [team], how much data they want to see in terms of game load kind of practices that he can handle. But everything that’s been thrown at him in terms of the way he’s progressed, he’s handled really, really well.”

LaVine remained in Chicago for the Bulls’ trip to Philadelphia and then New York, where they face the Knicks on Wednesday. Donovan said LaVine had no setbacks during workouts with Chicago’s G League franchise, the Windy City Bulls, the last two days. He’s expected to have another workout with them Wednesday.

“Positive [progress],” Donovan said. “Very, very good. So far, he practiced with those guys yesterday and then again today and all the reports I got is that it went very, very well. He responded well coming back in this morning, and we’ll see how he responds tomorrow. But with the schedule of Windy City and them being in town and able to practice, it’s good … with our schedule, it’s hard to get him actual live right reps and playing against live bodies. So this has been good for him to be back there.”

Before the injury, LaVine was averaging 21 points per game and shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from 3-point range. Those are his worst numbers since his injury-shortened first year with the Bulls in 2017-18, following him being a centerpiece in the Jimmy Butler trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

And since LaVine was sidelined, Chicago’s season has turned around; it’s gone 10-5 across its last 15 games entering Tuesday.

LaVine’s name has continued to be one of the more prominent ones discussed on the trade market ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline.

Donovan said he’s optimistic that LaVine will fit in well with the improved Bulls when he returns.

“I obviously talk to him in the building pretty regularly,” Donovan said. “I think he has always been … whatever he can do to help the team has kind of been his mentality. I think the one thing that’s always a little bit different when you talk to players that have been out, it’s like you talk to them and it’s a totally different perspective when you’re sitting out looking at it from a non-competitive standpoint. When you’re not in the game and you can see the game. I think he sees how we’re playing, what we’re doing, and I think that the thing that he’d want to do is come in and contribute and enhance that and make it better.

“To me, [our discussions have] been very, very positive. I think he wants to help the group as much as he can. I think I’ve said this before, I don’t think it’s necessarily so much that he has to change his game. It’s what he does really, really well, can he bring that to the table for us?”

Nikola Vucevic also remains sidelined for the Bulls with a groin injury. Donovan acknowledged there’s no timeline for his return and that he won’t practice with Windy City this week. Andre Drummond started in his place Tuesday night.