Chicago Bulls: Breaking down injuries to Zach LaVine and Bobby Portis

4. Does another injury affect Portis’ long-term future with the Bulls?

Following two NBA seasons that were filled with inconsistency, Portis finally turned the corner in Year 3. He posted career highs in scoring (13.2 points per game), rebounds (6.8) and assists (1.7), thus proving to be a valuable cog in Chicago’s rotation.

Despite that success, the Bulls and Portis failed to reach an agreement on a long-term deal before the season began. Bearing that in mind, Portis wanted to show once again that he could produce when his number is called.

Unfortunately, injuries have kept the Portis on the bench for a good portion of the season. After appearing in the first four games of the season, he missed 23 games due to a sprained MCL.

If Portis does return within the earlier part of the timetable, he will be out at least the next five games. However, if he is out of the lineup for the full four weeks, he won’t return until mid-January.

While Portis has stated that he couldn’t see himself playing for a different team, it will be interesting to see if the feeling is mutual within the front office should he miss a good portion of the season battling injuries.