Bulls' Dwyane Wade to miss Pistons game with thigh injury

ByNick Friedell ESPN logo
Monday, March 6, 2017

BEVERLY HILLS, Mich. -- Chicago Bulls shooting guard Dwyane Wade will not play Monday night against the Detroit Pistons because of a thigh injury.

"He's just got a little bit of soreness in there," Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Want to make sure it's right so it doesn't turn into something really serious."

Wade injured the thigh in Saturday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He was just 2-for-11 from the field and struggled all night to find a rhythm.

This is the 10th game of the season that Wade will have missed.

Bulls point guard Rajon Rondo, who has an ankle injury, went through some of Monday's shootaround and is a game-time decision against the Pistons. Rondo rolled his ankle while stepping on Clippers coach Doc Rivers' foot on Saturday.

Without Wade, and potentially Rondo, All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler knows he has to be more aggressive in finding his shots. Butler took just seven shots in Saturday's loss and knows he has to be more forceful in finding openings for himself.

"I don't think it can continue," Butler said. "I think I got to be much more aggressive, which we will be tonight and moving forward. I don't think that my role on this team is to take seven shots. I still do have to get everybody involved as well. But I can damn sure shoot the ball more than seven times."

Butler knows he must take a more vocal leadership approach without Wade on the floor, as well.

"Just how much more aggressive I have to be," Butler said. "How much more vocal, how much more I got to make sure guys are in the right spot, because he's out there to do [that] whenever I'm not paying attention. That's that for the most part. You got to have everybody ready. Make sure everybody knows their job on both ends of the floor. Make sure everybody knows the opposing team's plays and what their player tendencies are."