October 6, 2026 · By Rye · 4 min read
The Bulls will open camp without their new starting center. Nic Claxton tweaked his hamstring, and the team announced he is out at least two weeks and will be reevaluated at that point. That timeline wipes out all five preseason games, which run Oct 7 through Oct 16, and puts the Oct 21 regular-season opener at Toronto in real doubt.
via K.C. Johnson, Chicago Sports Network
Coach Tiago Splitter confirmed the timeline. For a team that spent its cap room to land Claxton after seven seasons in Brooklyn, losing him before a single meaningful practice is the worst possible start.
The injury, in numbers
- Diagnosis: tweaked hamstring, out at least two weeks, then reevaluated.
- Games missed: all five preseason games, Oct 7 to Oct 16.
- Opener status: Oct 21 at Toronto is in jeopardy.
- Last season: 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, a career-high 3.7 assists, 1.1 blocks, 57.1% from the field.
- How he got here: signed this offseason using cap room after seven seasons with the Nets.
- Fill-in options: Jalen Smith or Zach Collins, though Collins is dealing with a soft-tissue issue and missed Tuesday practice.
Who fills the middle
Splitter's preseason starters are set everywhere else: Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, plus a fill-in big. That last spot comes down to Jalen Smith or Zach Collins, and Collins is already managing a soft-tissue issue of his own after missing Tuesday practice.
via fantasypros
The rotation plan called for a 9 to 11 man group, which gives Splitter room to experiment. But experimenting at center was not the plan. Claxton was signed to anchor the defense with rim protection and switchability, and now the Bulls have to find that from backups before the games count.
The Awaka factor
One name to watch while Claxton is out: Tobe Awaka. Giddey has been raving about the young big's work on the glass, calling him "maybe the best offensive rebounder I've ever seen."
via K.C. Johnson, Chicago Sports Network
That is high praise from a starting point guard, and it is exactly the kind of thing that earns a longer look when the starter's seat is suddenly empty. Awaka will not replace Claxton's defense, but second-chance points travel.
Why hamstrings linger for bigs
Two weeks is the floor, not the promise. Hamstring tweaks have a way of becoming month-long problems for seven-footers who have to run, jump and change direction 70 times a night. The Bulls have every reason to be conservative here. They did not spend their cap room on Claxton to win a preseason game in October.
The real date to circle is Oct 21 in Toronto. If Claxton is not practicing by the middle of next week, the opener becomes a long shot, and Chicago starts its season solving the exact problem it paid to fix.
The betting angle
Do not overreact to October injury news, but do not ignore it either. The Bulls' win total was priced with Claxton anchoring the middle. If he misses the opener and the first week, that is real rotation value walking out the door, and the market tends to be slow to adjust for role-player absences early in the season.
The patient play is to wait for clarity on the reevaluation. If the news is good in two weeks, nothing was lost. If it is not, you will want to have waited before backing Chicago's early-season numbers.