Bulls guard Coby White moves step closer to making season debut

The Bulls have some clarity about guard Coby White’s return from injury, but they don’t have a specific date.

What they learned Monday, however, is that White (strained right calf) can go through an entire practice, even if it was with the Windy City Bulls, their G League affiliate. If he has no setbacks, White might be back at some point on the Bulls’ upcoming western swing. He has yet to make his season debut.

‘‘Everything that I heard was that it went well,’’ head coach Billy Donovan said. ‘‘I think the biggest thing is always trying to find out the next day how it went. The plan right now . . . would be to get back into practice with us when we get back from [the game Wednesday in] Detroit. We’ll have three days. One of those days, we’ll certainly have contact. The plan is to get him into that practice pretty extensively.’’

Considering Donovan and the Bulls were without guard Josh Giddey (sprained right ankle) for the game Monday against the Spurs, the sooner White can return, the better. After all, having another 20-point scorer in the lineup wouldn’t be a bad thing.

‘‘To his credit, I think he’s kept himself in pretty good shape and, in particular, with his weight,’’ Donovan said of White. ‘‘I think he’s at a good weight for himself, considering he hasn’t played in too many games. He’s done a good job taking care of himself, so right now everything seems to be progressing in the right direction.’’

If White gets through the full-contact practice this weekend, Donovan will have a better idea about a return by the time the Bulls leave for Utah.

As for Giddey, his absence shouldn’t be a long one. He injured the ankle in the Bulls’ loss Saturday to the Cavaliers and isn’t expected to miss much time.

‘‘I don’t think it’s anything too severe with his ankle, but I think with what we’ve got coming . . . I just think he didn’t feel great,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘We’ll see how he feels going to Detroit.’’

Speaking of . . .

The injury to Giddey, which came courtesy of Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter’s crossover seen around the NBA universe, wasn’t his finest moment, especially considering how viral it has become on social media.

Donovan, however, was oblivious to it. He doesn’t have social media and doesn’t even know where to find a meme on the play.

‘‘I didn’t necessarily focus on what happened,’’ Donovan said of the crossover. ‘‘I saw [Giddey] go down and the way he grabbed his ankle. I wasn’t really paying attention to the shot and Cleveland. I just didn’t know how severe it was.’’

When a media member joked with Donovan about being surprised he even knew what a meme was, Donovan laughed and admitted he didn’t and was just repeating what he was asked.

French connection

White wasn’t the only Bulls player to get a practice in with Windy City. Rookie forward Noa Essengue also spent the afternoon getting some court time in.

‘‘It was good,’’ Essengue said. ‘‘It’s something where you get a lot of reps just so you can get better. You get back with some of the guys you were with in Summer League, so it’s good.’’

Essengue, the No. 12 overall pick in the draft in June, hasn’t played in a regular-season game yet.