The Bulls announced Tuesday that Bitim will miss the entirety of the postseason after being diagnosed with a detached retina in his right eye.
Bitim didn't play in Sunday's 120-119 overtime loss to the Knicks in regular-season finale, but he earned his first NBA start two days prior, posting six points in 25 minutes in a 129-127 win over the Wizards. The rookie from Turkey didn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's contest, so it's unclear if he suffered the injury at some point during his start Friday or perhaps in a recent practice session. During the regular season, Bitim appeared in 23 games and averaged 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.5 three-pointers in 11.7 minutes.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Back to bench
Rotowire
Bitim (wrist) will play a reserve role in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Knicks.
Bitim is coming off a rare spot start but will return to his usual depth forward role in New York. He has averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds across 11.1 minutes in 22 games off the bench for the Bulls this season.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Cleared for action
Rotowire
Bitim (wrist) is active Sunday versus New York.
Bitim will suit up for Chicago's regular-season finale despite dealing with left wrist soreness. Bitim scored six points (2-10 FG) in 25 minutes during Friday's win over Washington, and he could be in store for a similar workload due to Ayo Dosunmu (quad) being ruled out.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Likely for Sunday
Rotowire
Bitim is listed as probable for Sunday's regular-season finale versus the Knicks due to left wrist soreness.
Bitim is coming off his first start of the season Friday versus Washington. He produced six points (1-6 FG) and two rebounds across 25 minutes in the contest. It remains to be seen if the Bulls will again be without several starters in Sunday's contest.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Draws first start of season
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Bitim is starting Friday's game against Washington.
Bitim will get an opportunity to run the floor with the first unit due to the majority of Chicago's starting five sitting out Friday evening. He'll start alongside Coby White, Dalen Terry, Torrey Craig and Javonte Green.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Limited again in loss
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Bitim provided zero points (0-2 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound and one assist across four minutes during Friday's 125-108 loss to the Nets.
Bitim played fewer than 10 minutes for the fifth straight game, continuing to serve as a depth piece off the bench. After playing meaningful minutes for a handful of games earlier in the month, Bitim has performed a disappearing act of late, averaging 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds over the past two weeks.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Capitalizes for 17 points
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Bitim amassed 17 points (8-16 FG, 1-6 3Pt), six rebounds and one assist in 25 minutes during Monday's 127-92 loss to the Mavericks.
Bitim bested his previous career high of 10 points en route to his second double-digit scoring performance of the season. He led Chicago in scoring amid an abysmal offensive showing at home, with no starter exceeding 13 points. Chicago was down 44-16 at the end of the first quarter in a game that quickly slipped away.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Continues to play role off bench
Rotowire
Bitim recorded six points (2-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt), one assist and one steal in 17 minutes during Thursday's 125-122 victory over Golden State.
Since converting his two-way contract into a three-year deal with the Bulls on Feb. 26, Bitim has carved out a sizable bench role. He's played double-digit minutes in four of the last five games, averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 16.0 minutes during that stretch. With Patrick Williams (foot) out for the season, there should be minutes available for Bitim as long as he continues to be serviceable in limited action.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Inks three-year deal
Rotowire
Bitim signed Monday with the Bulls on a three-year, $4.6 million deal, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports. His contract is guaranteed for the rest of this season and non-guaranteed for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
Multiple reports surfaced Friday indicating that the Bulls were planning on converting Bitim over from a two-way deal, but the team waited until Monday to make his standard NBA contract official. Andrew Funk will fill the vacated two-way spot, while Bitim -- a 24-year-old Turkey who has made just two NBA appearances this season -- is a candidate to be incorporated down the stretch with Patrick Williams (foot) and Zach LaVine (foot) sidelined for the remainder of the season.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Contract converted to standard deal
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The Bulls converted Bitim's two-way contract to a standard multi-year deal Friday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Most of Bitim's production has come in the G League this season, but Chicago has seen enough to make a multi-year commitment. It's unlikely that the 24-year-old will see a significant uptick in production in the NBA down the stretch.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Remains out
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Knicks.
Bitim will miss an eighth straight game due to a nasal fracture. His continued absence hasn't impacted Chicago's rotation.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Still out
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the 76ers.
Bitim will miss a seventh straight game due to a nasal fracture. His continued absence hasn't impacted Chicago's rotation.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Remains out Saturday
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) won't play in Saturday's game versus Philadelphia.
Bitim's absence streak will extend to six games Saturday due to a nasal fracture. His next chance to suit up is Tuesday's rematch with the 76ers.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Won't play Thursday
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Indiana.
Bitim will be sidelined for a fifth consecutive game due to a nasal fracture. His continued absence won't impact Chicago's rotation.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Remains out
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against the Hawks.
Bitim is dealing with a nasal fracture, and it's unclear when he'll be able to suit up. However, his absence shouldn't impact Chicago's rotation, as he's made just one NBA appearance this season.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Out again Saturday
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Cavaliers.
Bitim has been dealing with a nasal fracture recently and will be unavailable for a third consecutive matchup. His next chance to play will be Tuesday against Atlanta.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Still out
Rotowire
Bitim (nose) won't play in Thursday's game versus the Spurs.
Bitim will miss his second straight game Thursday due to a nasal fracture. His next chance to suit up is Saturday's matchup with Cleveland.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Won't play Wednesay
Rotowire
Bitim is listed as out for Wednesday's game versus the Lakers due to a nasal fracture.
Bitim has made just one appearance for Chicago this season, as he has spent most of his time in the G League. His absence won't affect the Bulls' rotation.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Still out
Rotowire
Bitim (illness) has been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup against the Hornets.
Bitim will miss a second straight game due to an illness. However, his absence shouldn't impact Chicago's rotation, as he's made just one NBA appearance this season.
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Bulls' Onuralp Bitim: Ruled out Saturday
Rotowire
Bitim won't play in Saturday's game versus New Orleans due to an illness.
Bitim has made just one NBA appearance this season, as he has spent most of the year in the G League. The two-way forward's next chance to suit up will be Wednesday's matchup with Charlotte.
