The Chicago Bulls face a significant setback with losing NBA veteran center Nikola Vucevic, who is sidelined for an unspecified duration due to a groin strain.

The injury, confirmed as a left adductor contusion through an MRI, was disclosed by Bulls coach Billy Donovan ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.

Vucevic sustained the injury during Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers following a collision with Max Strus. Despite the injury, Vucevic continued to play in that game. However, he will now miss his first game of the current season, breaking his streak of playing in all 82 games for Chicago in the 2022-23 season and his first absence since the regular-season finale of the previous season.

Coach Donovan expressed that the duration of Vucevic’s recovery would depend on his response to rehabilitation. He noted that Vucevic was notably sore after Saturday’s game and over the Christmas period.

“A lot of it is going to be how he responds to rehab,” Donovan said. “He was pretty sore after (Saturday’s) game and obviously over Christmas.”

At 33 years old, Vucevic has been a vital player for the Bulls this season, averaging 16.7 points and leading the team with 10.4 rebounds per game in his 31 starts. Chicago deployed Andre Drummond as the starting center for the first time in his tenure, alongside Patrick Williams, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, and Coby White against the Hawks.

The team will keenly feel his absence, considering his status as a two-time All-Star with the Orlando Magic before his trade to the Bulls in March 2021. The Bulls now face the challenge of adapting their play without one of their key players for an undetermined period by choosing to deploy small-ball lineups with Williams sliding over to the five more.