Chandler Hutchison Tests Positive for COVID-19; 1 of 4 Bulls Players in Protocol

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said Friday forward Chandler Hutchison tested positive for COVID-19.

"There's just a lot of inconveniences to be quite honest with you, and it's just kind of the way of the world," Donovan said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "It's a totally different environment. I really didn't know what to expect when I took the job, but I really didn't know what to expect going into Orlando into the bubble."

In addition to Hutchison's staying in Washington, D.C., because of the NBA's health and safety protocols, Lauri Markkanen, Ryan Arcidiacono and Tomas Satoransky were all unavailable for Friday's game at the Milwaukee Bucks because of the protocols.

Hutchison is averaging 3.3 points and 4.3 rebounds through four games in 2020-21. He played 6:25 in Chicago's 115-107 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday but was absent when the Bulls earned a 133-130 victory in the rematch Thursday.

The NBA's protocols mandate anybody who tests positive must sit out for a minimum of 10 days, and that's only for asymptomatic carriers. For a player with symptoms, the 10-day waiting period begins when the symptoms subside.

When that time is up, a player has to wait at least another two days, during which he works out alone at his team's facility, before he can return to action.

That will presumably leave Hutchison unavailable for the Bulls' next five games after Friday. A Jan. 12 contest against the Boston Celtics will be the earliest he can play again.