Bulls forward Chandler Hutchison is in a holding pattern while he waits for a cortisone shot to alleviate discomfort in his right shoulder. But with fewer than 20 games left, coach Jim Boylen acknowledged Hutchinson could be done for the season.
Hutchison has not played since Feb. 11, when he aggravated a bruised shoulder that has limited him to 28 games this season. He received his third cortisone shot with the hope he would be able to return down the stretch. Hutchison is scheduled to be re-evaluated March 16, making the next week crucial in his recovery.
“If it doesn’t get better by then, it’s like, OK, we’ve got to take that next step and have a more serious discussion about possibly doing surgery,” Hutchison said before Sunday’s game against the Nets. “This next week is kind of the final push on testing what I can do with it and if I’m going to be able to get out there.”
Injuries have disjointed Hutchison’s second NBA season.
He was slowed by a hamstring injury coming out of training camp before the shoulder injury robbed him of more than a month. Before the shoulder injury, Hutchison was starting to find a groove on the court, scoring a season-high 21 points against the Pacers at the end of January before he was inserted into the starting lineup at the start of February.
He played well with the increased minutes, averaging 11.8 points and six rebounds in four starts.
“Once he hurt it and got healthy, he kind of hurt it again and hurt it again,” said Boylen, who remained hopeful Hutchison would play again this season. “It’s been tough. Chandler works and he cares, and it’s such an unfortunate circumstance for him.”
If surgery is necessary, Hutchison estimated his recovery time would last about six to eight weeks. A procedure would likely clean up some of the inflammation in his shoulder that has prevented him from having a full range of motion.
He is weighing the benefit of getting the procedure done sooner rather than later.
“That’s a big chunk of time,” Hutchison said. “So if I can possibly get it done now and use this month at the end of this season to (do) my rehab while I’m around … I’m maybe only missing three to four weeks into the summer. That’s something you definitely take into account in figuring out the right timing of it all and seeing if that’s best for me.”