Chicago Bulls' Injury Report Grows Again After Jalen Smith's Nasty Collision

Someone needs to call an exterminator over to the United Center.

The Chicago Bulls couldn't make it through another game without adding someone to the injury report. Early in the third quarter, big man Jalen Smith tried to corral a high entry pass from teammate Tre Jones. As he bobbled the ball and attempted to keep it from going out of bounds, LaMelo Ball ran along the baseline to try to force the turnover, only to run straight into Smith.

It was a rather nasty collision that saw the players knock heads and hit the deck. Ball walked to the sideline while holding a towel to his mouth. Meanwhile, Smith stayed down for a bit before trainers helped direct him into the locker room. The Bulls initially declared him questionable, sharing that he was being evaluated for a concussion. He never returned to the game.

LaMelo SCARY head-to-head collision with Jalen Smith 😳😬 pic.twitter.com/rTt81jXDzy
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 4, 2026

Following the 112-99 loss, Donovan went on to share that Smith was put in concussion protocol. What this means for Smith's availability over the next handful of days remains unclear, but it feels safe to assume that he is likely to sit out at least Monday night's meeting with the Boston Celtics.

The Bulls gauntlet schedule continues this week with four games in six days. Two will be on the road against Boston and Detroit before they welcome the Heat and Mavericks into the United Center.

Chicago Bulls' Injury Report Trends in Wrong Direction

Jalen Smith of the Chicago Bulls — Dec 31, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jalen Smith (25) hits a three point shot against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Jalen Smith is just the latest player at risk of missing extended time. The Chicago Bulls lost both Coby White and Josh Giddey over the last week. White left Minnesota's game with calf tightness before Giddey walked off the floor with a hamstring injury. Both are expected to miss at least the next week, with Giddey's timeline for return potentially 2+ weeks away.

Zach Collins has also missed the team's last four games with a toe injury after taking over primary backup duties to Nikola Vucevic. He could return sooner than either White or Giddey, but the Bulls still do not plan to re-evaluate him until later this week.

To be sure, even with Collins taking over duties behind Vucevic, head coach Billy Donovan has made an effort to keep Smith in the rotation. The Bulls have used a heavy double-big rotation over the last couple of weeks, playing Smith at power forward alongside both his fellow centers. This became such a useful look for the Bulls that Donovan even opted to start Smith in the frontcourt the past few games in the wake of the White and Giddey injuries.

Over his last six games, Smith has averaged 10.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in his 23 minutes of action. He has also shot 48.9 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from long range in his expanded role. The Bulls were getting another strong performance from him on Saturday night before he went down with the head injury, as Smith was 4-5 from the field with 9 points and 5 rebounds. In fact, his absence seemed to align with the Bulls' collapse, as they were outscored 56-38 after he left the game.

No Collins or Smith will leave Chicago heavily depleted in the frontcourt. Not only could this mean more minutes for Julian Phillips and Patrick Williams in the coming games, but it could also mean meaningful playing time for Lachlan Olbrich. The second-round pick has appeared in five games this season due to similar injury trouble, clocking 10+ minutes in two of those outings.