Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Plan for Josh Giddey vs. Boston, Tre Jones Out for Weeks

Before Derrick Rose watches his iconic No. 1 hoisted in the rafters at the United Center, the Chicago Bulls will have some business to take care of.

The Bulls will match up with the Boston Celtics for the second time this season. Their first meeting came earlier in the month on the East Coast, and the Celtics performed like a Top 2 team in the East. Behind a dominant effort on the glass and a hot shooting night from Anfernee Simons, they cruised to a 115-101 victory.

The Bulls are hoping that a slightly healthier roster helps them change their fate tonight. Both Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith were seated for the last outing but have since returned to the rotation. Giddey stepped back onto the court just this week, helping lead Chicago to a surprising victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. The guard scored 21 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists in his 26 minutes of action.

Why so few minutes for the Bulls' offensive engine? Coming off a multi-week absence due to a hamstring strain, head coach Billy Donovan opted to have him come off the bench with a minutes restriction in place. Despite looking extremely fresh from the jump, the Bulls will remain cautious with Giddey for the foreseeable future. Donovan told K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network that Giddey will continue to be part of the second unit and will be held to a similar restriction of 24-26 minutes.

Nonetheless, a limited Giddey is better than no Giddey at all, especially after the Bulls received some bad news surrounding their other primary facilitator on Friday. Tre Jones has been one of the team's most reliable playmakers all season long. He has been a key part of ensuring that the Bulls' second unit continues to play uptempo and unselfishly. Likewise, Donovan has leaned on him as a spot-starter multiple times when injuries arise.

Alas, the injury bug has finally come for Jones. The guard will miss his first of what is expected to be at least eight games. Chicago announced on Friday that Jones suffered a hamstring strain that will have to be re-evaluated in two weeks. The chance of him missing even more time, however, feels likely, as he will need a bit to ramp back up once given the green light. The Bulls will also have only three more games on the schedule following Jones' re-evaluation date until the All-Star break, which could lead them to sit the guard until the season picks back up on February 19.

With Jones stuck in street clothes, the Bulls have decided to make two-way big man Lachlan Olbrich available tonight. Again, Chicago struggled heavily to limit second-chance points in their last meeting with Boston, so it's not shocking to see them opt for some extra size, especially with Zach Collins still out with his toe injury.

In other news, Patrick Williams is available after coming into the last couple of games as questionable with an ankle sprain. The Celtics are also expected to have both leading scorer Jaylen Brown and big man Neemias Queta, despite both being listed with ailments. Brown is playing through some hamstring tightness, while Queta is experiencing an illness. Both suited up last night in the frontend of this back-to-back set for the Celtics.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Tre Jones – OUT (hamstring)
Zach Collins – OUT (toe)

Boston Celtics Injury Report

Jaylen Brown – PROBABLE (hamstring)
Neemias Queta – PROBABLE (illness)
Josh Minott – OUT (ankle)
Jayson Tatum – OUT (Achilles)