It was already shaping up to be another tough year for the rebuilding Chicago Bulls. Now they'll start the regular season without one of their best young players.

Second-year forward Lauri Markkanen will be sidelined six to eight weeks, the team announced Friday night, after an MRI revealed a high-grade lateral sprain in his right elbow. Markkanen sustained the injury in practice Thursday, the team said.

Chicago opens the season Oct. 18 at Philadelphia in a nationally-televised game. The stated recovery time table would have Markkanen back in mid-November at the earliest. He will likely miss at least 12-15 games.

Markkanen was the No. 7 pick in the 2017 draft after one year at Arizona. The 7-footer from Finland had a strong first season and was named to the All-Rookie First Team after averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 68 games.

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