Nic Claxton is on the verge of giving the Bulls something they’ve been missing since the preseason: a real look at what their frontcourt can become when everyone is healthy.
Claxton, who came over from Brooklyn in an offseason trade, has recovered from the left hamstring strain he suffered in the preseason and could make his Chicago debut Sunday, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. The Bulls have taken the cautious route with him, giving him time to fully heal. He practiced Thursday with the team’s G League affiliate and then worked with the Bulls’ starters on Friday.
“I’m ready,” he said. “I feel great.
Obviously right now, I don’t have any aches. I haven’t been bumping in the games.
I’m ready to run through a wall. I’m ready for whatever.”
When Claxton does get back on the floor, he won’t be thrown straight into a full workload. Coach Tiago Splitter said his minutes will be “small” for a few games, though he didn’t put a number on the restriction.
That return sets up an immediate rotation puzzle. Jalen Smith has held up well as a starter in Claxton’s absence, and even though Smith hurt his hand in Wednesday’s game, he was able to practice Friday. Splitter said he’ll “definitely” use Claxton and Smith together in double-big lineups, with the possibility that they could even start together once Claxton is back to regular minutes.
That kind of move could push Matas Buzelis into a reserve role after a rough opening stretch to the season.
“Here, in the beginning of the season, nothing is set in stone,” Splitter said. “We will be trying different things.
We will give them some time to be together on the court and have a sample size there. Jalen could start with Nic - we could do different things.”
The Bulls’ 1-7 start has already put the roster under a microscope, and trade chatter is beginning to follow. Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times wrote that it’s not too early to start looking at possible moves, with Norman Powell his top candidate to be moved.
Powell arrived in Chicago as a free agent this summer and has a $22.6MM team option for next season. Cowley also listed Isaac Okoro, Tre Jones and Smith as possible trade pieces.
Chicago’s offensive problems have been glaring, but Cowley argued the cleanest answer may start on the other end. The Bulls own the third-lowest offensive efficiency in the league, along with the second-worst field goal percentage at 41.2% and the lowest three-point percentage at 27.2%. Still, the bigger issue may be that they’re not creating enough easy offense because they’re constantly taking the ball out of the basket.
“It’s hard when we’re taking the ball out of the basket every possession, having to play in the halfcourt and try and manufacture things that way,” Powell said. “We need to get stops, get in transition and find easy ways to put the ball in the basket.”
Claxton should help on that front by giving Chicago a rim protector. Cowley also recommended sliding Okoro into the starting lineup ahead of Buzelis.
And the lineup numbers back up the concern. Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic pointed out in a mailbag column that the starters haven’t meshed well, with the effects showing up for Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Caleb Wilson. Lorenzi noted that Giddey, Powell, Wilson, Buzelis and Smith have been the fourth-most-used lineup in the league, and that group has posted a minus-20.3 rating in 92 minutes together.
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Caleb Wilsons recent benching against the Knicks added another wrinkle to the picture, underscoring how quickly Splitter is willing to adjust when the effort or decision-making slips. There is still reason for optimism if Nic Claxton returns to steady the rim protection and give the offense another layer, while Noa Essengue remains a longer-term bet on defense, but the Bulls still have a lineup issue they cannot keep ignoring. [Read more 🡒]