The Bulls may be walking into Boston with their front line stretched thin.
Jalen Smith is officially questionable for the matchup with the Celtics after showing left finger trouble during Wednesday night’s close loss to the Knicks. The starting center was seen shaking out his hand in that game, and Chicago confirmed the injury on its report.
The encouraging sign: Smith went through shootaround this morning, according to K.C. Johnson of CHSN.
Whether that gets him the green light for tip-off is still up in the air.
That matters because Smith has been one of Chicago’s steadiest pieces early on. He’s putting up 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds as a starter, mixing in hustle plays, a few timely threes, and better work on the defensive end. He’s not known as a classic rim protector, but he’s brought some needed toughness inside and turned in what may have been his best defensive outing against the Knicks.
Even so, the Celtics have given him problems before. In his last game against Boston, Smith managed just 7 points in 20 minutes, and the matchup with Mitchell Robinson is clearly a difficult one. Still, Chicago would much rather have him available than not, especially with the center rotation already in rough shape.
Nic Claxton is still out, and Tobe Awaka is questionable again because of an ankle injury. That leaves open the possibility that Zach Collins is the lone available center.
Collins has played in only three of the team’s five games so far and hasn’t logged more than 12 minutes in any of them. He also had a rough showing against Boston earlier this week, finishing 1-for-5 and a minus-20.
There is at least one positive note on the injury front. Patrick Williams is expected to be available in Boston after missing the last few games with an adductor strain and entering the day as questionable.
Williams told Johnson he will play, though that doesn’t guarantee he sees the floor. Tiago Splitter has not used him yet even when he’s been healthy, and with several long wings on the roster, the former No. 4 overall pick looks like the odd man out for Chicago.
Jalen Smith - QUESTIONABLE (finger)
Patrick Williams - QUESTIONABLE (adductor)
Tobe Awaka - QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Nic Claxton - OUT (hamstring)
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