Jalen Smith will start at center for the Bulls with Nic Claxton out, Tiago Splitter said, with Tobe Awaka "just coming back." Splitter wants everyone but the shooter chasing misses 75% of the time, up from about 40%: "we don't have the best shooting team in the NBA."
Nic Claxton must practise full speed with the Bulls before he returns; Tiago Splitter would only say "on average" two more weeks. Zach Collins practised fully but won't commit to 21 October, and expects limited minutes: "whether that's 10 minutes, 15, 20 minutes, not sure."
Rookie Caleb Wilson says he and Matas Buzelis will be key to protecting the Bulls' rim with Nic Claxton out: "I'm definitely going to be a big part." Tiago Splitter wants him looser: "Caleb has a thousand things on his mind right now... just go there and hoop."
Nic Claxton is "still going to be out for a little bit," Bulls coach Tiago Splitter said. Tobe Awaka's knee inflammation is nothing serious; he's day-to-day and might play Oct. 14. Zach Collins is "not ready to play yet, but probably going to be there soon."
From Chicago's postgame: all three Bulls centers are down, and size stays a problem once they're back. Nic Claxton is "furthest away, just with the 2-week reevaluation." Zach Collins (quad) could return "maybe by the start of the season," but "they're not going to push it."
Nic Claxton is out, Zach Collins is "probably close to coming back, but not 100% yet," so the Bulls lack bigs. Tiago Splitter says Tobe Awaka will play "short minutes," nobody should top 35 minutes in the preseason opener, and he'll try small and maybe double-big lineups.