The Bulls’ preseason opener arrives tonight against the Suns with a roster that already looks thin in a few places, and the week-plus since camp opened has brought only a handful of notable updates.
The biggest issue is in the middle. Zach Collins was hurt before the first practice, which wasn’t much of a surprise.
Nic Claxton’s absence is the more unexpected one, and he’s out “a couple weeks” because of a hamstring injury. That leaves the Bulls to sort out the center spot tonight with Jalen Smith being asked to play ‘up’ - he says he’s taller! - while Two-Way signing and undrafted free agent Tobe Awaka also figures into the mix.
There’s also a new face on a Two-Way deal. The Bulls used their final opening this week on Jordan Hawkins, who was recently traded and waived.
Hawkins was, with all due respect, a draft bust of new Bulls GM Bryson Graham during his time in New Orleans, where the Pelicans took him 14th overall in 2023. He’s entering his age-24 season, which makes this a real make-or-break chance for him just to stick in the NBA.
The Bulls could use what he theoretically brings: movement shooting from the guard spot.
Whether Hawkins gets into Tiago Splitter’s first preseason rotation as Bulls head coach is still unclear. It’s easy to get too caught up in the rotation itself, but for a team that is, by its own admission, in a rebuild and at least talking a big game about player development, it matters.
One thing that already stands out is the attention Isaac Okoro is getting from the coach, though it’s still worth waiting to see who actually takes the floor tonight before drawing any firm conclusions. What is known is that Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis will start, and that alone gives this one enough reason to watch.
In Other News...
Matas Buzelis Sees A Different Bulls Team Taking Shape
Matas Buzelis opened training camp sounding like a young player who has already felt the difference between a team searching for answers and one trying to build something sturdier. After a season in which Chicago was sorting through change, the second-year forward said the tone around the organization has shifted, with more intensity and a clearer sense of purpose as the Bulls move through an overhaul and into a new phase of the rebuild.
Buzelis also spoke with the patience of someone focused on the long game, stressing that his own approach is to keep improving every day and help wherever he can. For a roster trying to establish itself, that matters as much as any single skill point. The real test now is whether the early signs of order and accountability can hold once the games start to pile up. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Jordan Weighed In On A Bulls Reality Fans Know Too Well
Michael Jordans latest remarks offered a familiar kind of reminder for Bulls fans: the game has changed around the franchise, but the standard he set has not. Speaking at the SBC Summit in Lisbon, Jordan said modern sports betting and the nonstop statistical noise of todays NBA would not have altered how he approached basketball. His emphasis, as ever, was on winning, studying opponents and staying locked in on the next challenge rather than getting pulled into everything swirling around the game.
Jordan also touched on how different the current landscape would feel for players now, with social media adding a layer of scrutiny his era never had to deal with. For a franchise still measured against his shadow, the comments hit on a reality Chicago knows well, even if the details of how he would navigate todays betting-heavy environment remain his to spell out another time. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Suddenly Have A Center Problem They Need To Solve Fast
The Bulls entered camp expecting Nic Claxton to stabilize the middle, but a hamstring injury has already complicated that plan and left the front court with an obvious question mark. Claxton is expected to miss at least the opening stretch of the season, forcing Chicago to sort through a center rotation that does not currently include a fully reliable backup option.
Zach Collins, Jalen Smith and Tobe Awaka each bring something different, but none of them has clearly separated himself as the answer yet. The preseason now becomes a live audition for the Bulls, with the staff using those games to see whether one of those internal options can hold up until Claxton is ready to return. [Read more 🡒]