Good morning, Chicago.

The Bulls will start the season without their longest-tenured player as guard Coby White remains sidelined with a right calf strain.

White returned to practice Saturday after missing training camp and all five preseason games. At the time, White and coach Billy Donovan told reporters they planned for him to be available for limited playing time — as many as 20 to 24 minutes, per Donovan — in Wednesday’s season opener against the Pistons.

Instead, the team announced Monday morning that White won't play for the next two weeks, at which point he will be reevaluated. White won't be allowed to run or cut for the next two weeks, during which time his activity will be limited to weight lifting and rehab activities. That means the Bulls will play at least six games without White, who will have to undergo a ramp-up process to regain his cardio fitness before he can be cleared to play.

Donovan isn't showing his hand for White’s potential replacement in the starting lineup. Backup point guard Tre Jones appears to be the natural successor after starting throughout the preseason, giving the Bulls another facilitator alongside Josh Giddey.

Stay connected with us all day: Sign up for our newsletters to get the latest news in your inbox. And you can follow us on social media: X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Threads. Not a Tribune subscriber? Here's our latest offer.