Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was forced off the court in Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Noah was later evaluated, and the team have determined Noah had suffered a sprain in his left shoulder. The injury occurred late in the third quarter, when Noah got tangled up with Nets center Andrea Bargnani. Noah was actually called for a foul on the play before moving away from the incident rithing in pain. Noah played just 16 minutes before leaving the game. He contributed 4 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
Joakim Noah to undergo MRI after feeling shoulder “pop out” in loss to Nets: https://t.co/82YtYWo2B3 #BullsTalk pic.twitter.com/c9cPWRyquT
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNChicago) December 22, 2015
Joakim Noah Suffers Shoulder Injury, Adding To Bulls Problems
Noah was quoted as saying this about the status of his shoulder injury, “I just felt it pop out, and it went back in. We got the x-ray, and (the) x-ray came out negative, so that’s good news.”
The Bulls have confirmed that Noah will be re-evaluated on Tuesday and are expecting more good news than bad.
Noah is currently averaging 4.5 points and 8.8 rebounds from the bench, as the big man out of Florida looks to adapt to new head coach Fred Hoiberg’s system. Noah has only started 1 game this season and is currently averaging 22.3 minutes per game. Down from his career high in minutes which is 36.8 per game back in the 2012-13 season.
This injury to Noah is not a severe loss for the Bulls, as they are a team blessed with great front court players. In Noah’s absence we should see some more minutes from rookie Bobby Portis, a player Bulls fans are determined to get a look at.
Main Photo by Getty Images Sport.
