Caleb Wilson Plays Through Sore Hip as Bulls Monitor Rookie's Minutes

Chicago Bulls rookie Caleb Wilson returned to action against the San Antonio Spurs after being listed as questionable with a sore hip, but his night ended early after he injured his right hand. Wilson, the No. 4 overall draft pick, scored 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in 15 minutes before he did not return in the second half, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Hip concern cleared before tip-off

Wilson's availability was in doubt after the Bulls' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. He needed to get through warmups, test the hip, and then give the medical staff the go-ahead before he was cleared to play.

Before the Spurs game, Wilson had played 32 minutes against Philadelphia. He led the Bulls with an average of 32.4 minutes per game, a workload that coach Tiago Splitter said is important for development but needs to be managed.

Coach stresses balance between minutes and development

Splitter said the team has to be careful with a young player taking on heavy minutes. "We've got to be smart with him of course," Splitter said. "He's playing a lot of minutes. Those minutes are important to his development, but we've also got to be smart with his body being young."

The coach added that young players cannot simply do everything they want, and that players need to get stronger to handle an NBA season. Wilson, who is 20, had a season-low 22 minutes in a recent loss in New York, when Splitter said he was benched in part over body language and resiliency.

Splitter described Wilson's first 10 games as uneven but encouraging. "He did some great things, and other games he wasn't as good, but again, it's not like a (upward) line," he said. "He's grown, he's getting better."

Claxton returns, Powell still out

The Bulls also welcomed back veteran big man Nic Claxton, who had been sidelined since the start of training camp with a strained hamstring. He made his Bulls debut against Philadelphia, coming off the bench under minutes restrictions, and was in the same role against San Antonio.

Second-year forward Noa Essengue said having Claxton behind him to protect the rim has helped his own game. "That's one of the best feelings, honestly," Essengue said.

Norman Powell missed his second straight game with back spasms. Splitter said Powell is around 70 percent and expected to be ready for the next game. Isaac Okoro started again in Powell's place and finished Sunday's loss to Philadelphia with 12 points.

What we know so far

Wilson's status for the Bulls' next game will depend on the hand injury, which has not been detailed in the reports available to us, and on how the hip responds. Splitter has made clear the team will monitor his workload closely over the coming games, while Powell is expected back soon.

The Bulls' injury report for the Spurs game was also published by Yahoo Sports, and the team has not yet provided a full update on Wilson's hand.

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