The Chicago Bulls say point guard Kris Dunn will miss four to six weeks because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Coach Fred Hoiberg said Tuesday that Dunn was injured going for a layup in the second quarter of Monday’s loss at Dallas. Dunn stayed in and finished with nine points and seven assists after missing the first two games of the season for the birth of his first child.
“To have him out of the lineup for an extended period, it’s extremely difficult,” Hoiberg said. “When you have a guy who is out there and really made strides over the course of last season and the summer he had and the way he played during training camp, it’s difficult to miss him.”
Dunn averaged 13.4 points and 6.0 assists for Chicago last season after struggling as a rookie with Minnesota. The Bulls were already missing Lauri Markkanen until at least mid-November because of an elbow injury. And Denzel Valentine has not played because of a sprained left ankle.
Kris Dunn was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Jimmy Butler trade that took place during the summer of 2017. In 52 regular-season games last year, Dunn averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists while shooting 42.9 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from beyond the arc and 73.7 percent from the free-throw line.
With Dunn out for the foreseeable future, the Bulls will be forced to start Cameron Payne at the point guard position. Payne started the first two games of the season. The lefty is averaging 7.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists through three games.
The Bulls have started the season 0-3, with losses to the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Mavs. Now the team is going to be without their starting floor general and best perimeter defender in Kris Dunn.
