Bulls Could Be Down a Crucial Starter in Big Matchup with the Celtics

The Chicago Bulls might go into their meeting with the Boston Celtics down a big body – literally.

According to the official injury report, Jalen Smith's availability is up in the air. The starting center appeared to be shaking out his hand during Wednesday night's tight loss to the New York Knicks. The Bulls have confirmed that he's experiencing a left finger injury, listing him as questionable in the hours leading up to tip-off.

The good news is that Smith did participate in shootaround this morning, according to K.C. Johnson of CHSN. However, whether this means the Bulls will allow him to play remains unclear. If one thing is for sure, missing the big man will make this matchup a whole lot tougher.

Smith has been one of the Bulls' most consistent players to begin the year. He is averaging 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in the starting role, converting some strong hustle plays and knocking down some timely threes. Smith's defense has also taken a step in the right direction. While he isn't traditionally the most formidable rim protector, Smith has provided some good physicality on that end and put together arguably his best defensive performance against the Knicks this week.

To be sure, the last time he played the Celtics, Smith struggled pretty heavily. He had a season-low 7 points and only saw 20 minutes of action. The matchup with Mitchell Robinson is undoubtedly a tough one for him. Nevertheless, having Smith available is still far better than the alternative, especially when we consider the Bulls are already lacking depth at the center position.

Nic Claxton remains out, while Tobe Awaka is questionable once again with an ankle injury. There is a world where this means Zach Collins is the only available center. He has appeared in just three of the five games thus far and has yet to clock more than 12 minutes of action in any contest. For what it's worth, he also struggled heavily against the Celtics earlier this week, going 1-5 and ending the night a -20.

In other injury news, it sounds like Patrick Williams will be good to go. Sitting out the last few games with an adductor strain and listed as questionable, Williams told Johnson that he will be available in Boston. Whether he will play, however, is a fair question. Tiago Splitter has yet to put Williams in a game even when healthy. For now, with many long wings on the roster, the former No. 4 overall pick appears to be the odd man out for Chicago.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Oct 23, 2026; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls forward/center Jalen Smith (25) slam dunks the ball past Milwaukee Bucks forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. (24) during the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Repplinger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jalen Smith – QUESTIONABLE (finger)
Patrick Williams – QUESTIONABLE (adductor)
Tobe Awaka – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Nic Claxton – OUT (hamstring)

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