The Bulls have spent most of this season looking like a team headed in the wrong direction, but Jalen Smith has given them something worth paying attention to. Alongside Caleb Wilson’s early development, Smith has emerged as one of the few clear positives in Chicago’s mess of a year.
What makes Smith interesting is that the box score hasn’t been perfect, yet the bigger picture still looks encouraging. He’s 26, he defends well enough to matter, and he brings real value as a screener.
That kind of skill set has a place, especially for a team trying to find useful pieces it can actually build around. There’s a reason he was a top-10 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and Chicago looks like a team that can still tap into that talent.
Smith has played in seven games for the Bulls this season and has been logging heavy minutes, especially with Nicolas Claxton sidelined. He’s taken the opportunity and run with it, averaging 12.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.9 blocks while shooting 47.8% from the field and 27.8% from three on 5.1 attempts per game.
The outside shot has been shaky this season, but that’s not the whole story with Smith. He has shown he can stretch the floor in the past, hitting at least 37% from deep in two of the last three seasons. The consistency hasn’t always been there from year to year, but the track record is enough to keep the door open.
What Chicago has here is the profile of a useful big man: someone who can defend multiple ways, knock down threes when he’s right, set solid screens, and bring energy. That’s the kind of reserve teams value, and it’s why Smith could draw attention as the deadline approaches.
He’s on an expiring deal worth just over $9.4 million this season, which makes him affordable and, at the same time, tricky to manage. If the Bulls keep him past the deadline, they’ll need to know they can bring him back this summer, since he’s headed for unrestricted free agency.
That’s why moving him for anything short of elite value would be a mistake. Chicago should be thinking about retaining him, not flipping him just to make a deal. With Wilson at the center of what comes next, Smith looks like the kind of player the Bulls ought to keep in the mix.
He’s a good player. He can hoop. And the Bulls should not be in a hurry to let him walk.
In Other News...
Bulls Had No Answer For A 76ers Team Looking Unstoppable
The Bulls ran into a Philadelphia team that has quickly started to look like one of the leagues early problems, with the 76ers winning again to stretch their streak to four and move to 7-1 on the season. Chicago could not keep pace with the way Philadelphia moved the ball and kept pressure on the defense, as Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown set the tone and Joel Embiid, LeBron James and V.J. Edgecombe all chipped in to keep the offense humming.
For the Bulls, the frustration was less about one hot hand than the overall rhythm Philadelphia found and sustained. The 76ers were getting quality looks, sharing the ball and forcing Chicago to chase for long stretches, which is exactly the kind of night that can make a good defensive plan look thin. If this is the version of Philadelphia the Bulls are going to see again, they will need a much cleaner answer than the one they came up with here. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Wilson Is Giving Bulls Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Even in a loss to the 76ers, Caleb Wilson kept giving the Bulls something to hang onto. The rookie put up 24 points and seven rebounds, another steady night in a start that has quickly turned him into one of the most watchable young players in Chicago.
Wilsons early production has already put him in rare company, and the numbers are starting to pile up fast. He is averaging 21.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, a pace that has Bulls fans looking past the disappointment of one loss and toward what this stretch might mean if he keeps it up. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Visit To New York Suddenly Centers On Nic Claxton
The Bulls trip to New York on Wednesday has taken on a different feel because of the injury report, with Nic Claxton suddenly in the mix for the Knicks after being listed as questionable with a left hamstring strain. Claxton has yet to appear in a game this season or in the preseason, so his status matters not just for New Yorks frontcourt plans but for the way Chicago has to prepare on the road.
Jalen Smith has been handling the center duties in Claxtons absence and is listed as probable despite a left finger sprain. If Claxton is able to go, it would change the look of the matchup quickly, but for now the Bulls are left waiting on a decision that could shape how the game is played inside. [Read more 🡒]