Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Unfortunate Updates on Jalen Smith & Patrick Williams

The Chicago Bulls injury report has only grown in the aftermath of the NBA trade deadline.

While some may want to chalk this up to a "tanking" mindset, the Bulls' injury trouble appear geniune and unfortunate. Jaden Ivey, arguably the most important player to evaluate post-deadline, alerted the team of some knee soreness that has resulted in him being ruled out for at least two weeks. Sharpshooter Anfernee Simons soon joined him, as he re-aggravated a fracture in his wrist that was suffered in training camp with the Boston Celtics.

Fast forward to Wednesday, and both Jalen Smith and Patrick Williams were being held out of practice. Smith was forced to leave the team's meeting with the Detroit Pistons after experiencing some tightness in his previously-injured calf. While the hope was he might be able to return after some brief rest, he came into Thursday as doubtful before officially being ruled out for the meeting with the Trail Blazers.

Williams was the most surprising addition. Moving into the starting lineup against the New York Knicks, the forward has played some solid basketball in recent days. He was appearing far more assertive on the offensive end, specifically in the distributing department. Nevertheless, he was away from practice for imaging on his quad and has now also been ruled out after entering the day as doubtful.

Billy Donovan shared before the game that both players are now expected to be sidelined for at least a week before starting their ramp-up (h/t K.C. Johnson). In other words, both are now in a position to miss more than four games.

For those riding the tank train, this news may not mean a whole lot. But from an on-court perspective, this is a brutal blow for Donovan and the Bulls' rotation. This team is already incredibly undersized, and they will now be without two of their larger and longer options in the frontcourt. Williams offers some much-needed strength that the team has turned to time and again when Matas Buzelis has struggled at the four. Meanwhile, Smith has put together a career year and has manned both power forward and center admirably.

So, how will the Bulls handle the extended absence for both? We will surely continue to see Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards eat up plenty of minutes. However, keep an eye out for Leonard Miller to potentially see more playing time.

Acquired in the Ayo Dosunmu trade, the 22-year-old offers an imposing frame and great open-floor athleticism. Like Rob Dillingham, he's another intriguing prospect that has gotten little run at the NBA level, so what better time than now to see if he can leave a mark?

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Jaden Ivey – OUT (knee)
Anfernee Simons – OUT (wrist)
Jalen Smith – OUT (calf)
Patrick Williams – OUT (quad)
Zach Collins – OUT FOR SEASON (toe)
Noa Essengue OUT FOR SEASON (shoulder)

Trail Blazers Injury Report

Deni Avdija – OUT (back)
Donovan Clingan – QUESTIONABLE (illness)
Robert Williams III – QUESTIONABLE (foot)
Yang Hansen – QUESTIONABLE (back)

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