The Bulls are heading into opening night with one piece of their frontcourt puzzle finally back in place, but another remains stuck on the sideline.
On Monday, Tiago Splitter said Zach Collins was a full participant in practice for the first time in weeks. Collins arrived at training camp dealing with a soft tissue injury in his quad, so getting through a full session was a notable step forward as Chicago gets ready to open the season Wednesday night in Toronto.
A final decision on Collins’ availability is still coming. He wants to play, but the Bulls’ training staff is expected to monitor how his body handles the ramp-up over the next two days before making the call. For now, though, Collins says he feels good and has no restrictions to start the week.
"I'm sure they won't play me 48 minutes, but whether that's 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, I'm not sure. But I feel pretty good to get through whatever they throw at me."
If Collins can go, Chicago gets a bigger, more physical option in the paint, along with a player who can space the floor. That matters for a roster loaded with long, athletic wings, and it gives the Bulls another big who can operate away from the rim.
The return is also welcome because Jalen Smith has had to carry the load inside, and the plan remains for him to open the regular season at center. Collins was expected to be part of the mix early, but his injury delayed that.
The tougher news came with Nic Claxton, who Splitter confirmed will miss the opener in Toronto. Claxton has been sidelined since early in training camp with a hamstring injury, and Monday marked his reevaluation date after the Bulls initially set a two-week window. Even if he had been cleared for on-court work, he would still have needed time to build back up.
Splitter made it clear that Claxton is still a ways off from joining the rotation.
“It’s probably another two weeks," Splitter said at the Advocate Center. "But, again, he’s going to start to work more and more and see slowly where he can play. First, he has to be able to practice with the team and go full speed, so still got a couple of weeks.”
Claxton was in sweats and a long sleeve shirt and could be seen doing some stationary shooting near the free throw line after practice. The Bulls brought him in this offseason as one of the veteran voices on the roster, but his absence leaves Chicago without its best built-in rim protector at the moment.
That matters because the Bulls are trying to establish a defensive identity. Their plan calls for more pressure on the perimeter, and Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis have both worked on defending away from the basket and getting into the ball. Claxton was supposed to help cover for that approach with his presence at the rim.
Without him, that part of the floor gets more vulnerable. The Bulls struggled in preseason with penetration and fouls, and that issue could linger early in 2026-27 if the defense can’t tighten up inside. There is no rush to rush Claxton back this early in the season, but his absence makes the task harder for a young team trying to find its footing.
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