Bulls' Hutchison has no regrets playing through injury

Chicago Bulls rookie Chandler Hutchison suffered a foot injury in the dying seconds of Wednesday's blowout loss to the Atlanta Hawks but proceeded to play 41 minutes on Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers. Just a day later, the Bulls announced that Hutchison will miss at least two-to-four weeks with a bone injury in his right foot.

However, the 22-year-old said Sunday he has no regrets trying to play through the pain, according to K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. Hutchison compared the pain to a jammed finger and doesn't believe he worsened the fracture by playing Friday. He also said team doctors told him the fracture could've been a pre-existing condition.

Chicago head coach Jim Boylen explained the reasoning behind playing the 6-foot-7 rookie for 41 minutes despite the injury.

"This guy wants to play man," Boylen said, according to Cody Westerlund of 670 AM The Score. "He's a starter in the NBA. It's his dream. Obviously, he could function with it. I give him credit (for) the toughness to fight through.

"This is a unique injury in a unique place that obviously didn't affect his play, but after his play was sore," Boylen continued. "I kind of equate it to if you ever had Osgood-Schlatter as a kid. When you were playing, it didn't bother you. When you got done playing, it hurt. We all live that. I'm proud of Hutch."

Hutchison was hesitant when asked if he'd make the same decision if Friday's game was a playoff matchup.

"It's a little more complicated than that," Hutchison said, according to Westerlund. "Obviously, we're not in that situation, so that didn't come up with the doctors. I don't know. I just do what they tell me to do."

Boylen said the team was aware that Hutchison was experiencing soreness after the initial injury Wednesday and that the rookie wasn't sore when he played Friday, according to Johnson.

The Boise State product says the pain didn't escalate until late Friday, according to Westerlund.

Hutchison is averaging 5.2 points and 4.2 boards through 44 games played.