Chicago Bulls Injury Report: Yabusele Upgraded, But Several Bulls Remain Out

In this story:
The Chicago Bulls will act out of an abundance of caution for the backend of their back-to-back.
Jalen Smith has been dealing with a lingering calf strain for the last month or so, most recently missing a stretch of five straight games. He has now suited up in the past three outings, clocking 30+ minutes in each of the last two contests. While Smith has physically looked like his normal high-energy self, he has only shot 9-30 from the field.
The Bulls have now presumably chosen to sit Smith for their meeting with the Clippers. He has been downgraded to doubtful due to calf injury management, putting the Bulls in a position to be pretty shorthanded in the frontcourt. Nick Richards is the only guaranteed healthy option at the moment, as both Guerschon Yabusele and Patrick Williams are also on the injury report.
To be clear, Yabusele and Williams are at least listed as questionable. The former missed his first game as a Bull last night due to foot soreness, while Williams has sat out the last two contests after suffering an ankle tweak against the Kings. Before that meeting in Sacramento, he missed the previous four games because of a quad strain. His limited availability has opened the door for Leonard Miller, who has taken full advantage of the minutes. Will Billy Donovan continue to give him the opportunity with Williams healthy, or will he go back to leaning more on his vets?
As for Isaac Okoro and Collin Sexton, both are expected to sit out again. Sexton is still dealing with a leg injury after his four-straight 20+ point games. Meanwhile, Okoro's situation is a bit of a mystery. He was a sudden scratch before the Bulls' meeting with the Golden State Warriors due to knee soreness and proceeded to sit out Thursday's loss. The issue doesn't appear to be anything severe, but it will surely be something to monitor.
Chicago Bulls Injury Report
Patrick Williams – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Guerschon Yabusele – QUESTIONABLE (foot)
Jalen Smith – DOUBTFUL (calf)
Isaac Okoro – DOUBTFUL (knee)
Collin Sexton – DOUBTFUL (leg)
Anfernee Simons – OUT (wrist)
Jaden Ivey – OUT (knee)
Zach Collins – OUT FOR SEASON (wrist)
Noa Essengue – OUT FOR SEASON (shoulder)
Los Angeles Clippers Injury Report
Darius Garland – OUT (injury management)
John Collins – OUT (neck)
Yanic Konan Niederhauser – (foot)
Bradley Beal – OUT FOR SEASON (hip)
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on X for the latest news

Elias Schuster is a sports journalist and content creator from the northern suburbs of Chicago. A graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he has covered the Bulls since 2019-20 and previously served as the editor of BN Bulls at Bleacher Nation. He has been the Publisher for Bulls On SI since December of the 2025-26 season. When he isn't obsessing over hoops, Elias spends his time obsessing over practically every other sport – much to his wife's dismay. He also loves strolling the streets of Chicago for the best cozy bar or restaurant to set up shop and write his next article.
Follow Schuster_Elias