The Chicago Bulls will be down a few bodies for their opening night matchup against the Toronto Raptors.
As expected, the frontcourt will continue to operate without its projected starting big man. Nic Claxton missed the entirety of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. While he was re-evaluated to start the week, Tiago Splitter's latest update wasn't the most encouraging. The former Brooklyn Nets center will need at least a couple more weeks before he is ready to make his Bulls debut.
Joining Claxton will be Dailyn Swain and Jordan Hawkins. In fact, the two guards didn't even make the trip with the Bulls to their first road game due to an ongoing illness. For what it's worth, Hawkins was unlikely to see action, as the former Pelicans first-rounder joined the Bulls late this offseason on a two-way contract. As for Swain, his exact role to begin the year has remained unclear, but there is no question he is an important building block for this new front office.
Indeed, Swain was consistently part of Splitter's rotation during preseason action. With player development as a clear focus for this franchise, there is a good chance the No. 15 pick eventually gets some meaningful minutes in the second unit. Speaking of which, the Bulls will play again on both Friday and Saturday this week. Assuming that Swain makes the trip up I-94 for Friday's meeting with the Bucks, it may not be long before we see him take the floor.
Time for some good news! The Bulls appear ready to welcome Zach Collins back after he missed preseason action with a quad injury. He practiced in full earlier this week and sounded optimistic about his ability to play in the opener. The Bulls have now listed Collins as probable.
The expectation should be that Jalen Smith gets the bulk of the minutes, to be clear. They will want to manage Collins' workload carefully after so much missed time. However, getting him back in the mix is a big deal for a Bulls team that is missing Claxton and lacks some raw strength in the frontcourt. Especially against the Raptors, the return of Collins could prove pivotal, as Toronto lacks true center depth of their own.
Isaac Okoro (probable) will likely return as well. While the veteran wing did play in the preseason, he missed the last couple of games with a knee injury. Tiago Splitter has referred to him as their best perimeter defender, and the head coach has made clear that the Bulls want to make strides on that side of the ball. With that in mind, Bulls fans should expect him to see plenty of action, especially early on as they try to establish their new identity.
Lastly, Leonard Miller and Tobe Awaka are both listed as probable. Awaka comes as no surprise, as he was dealing with a knee injury to end the preseason but has been on the practice floor. Whether he sees any action, however, is up for debate with Collins back in the mix. Miller is a surprise addition after his outstanding preseason run that almost surely earned him a rotational spot. Fortunately, though, his adductor issue doesn't appear to be serious.
Full Chicago Bulls Injury Report
Isaac Okoro – PROBABLE (knee)
Leonard Miller – PROBABLE (adductor)
Zach Collins – PROBABLE (quad)
Tobe Awaka – PROBABLE (knee)
Jordan Hawkins – OUT (illness)
Dailyn Swain – OUT (illness)
Nic Claxton – OUT (hamstring)
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