The Chicago Bulls are losing size — fast.
Starting center Nic Claxton tweaked his hamstring over the weekend, an injury that coach Tiago Splitter said will sideline the Bulls’ newest frontcourt addition for at least two weeks.
That means Claxton will miss the entire preseason, putting the Bulls at a further disadvantage as backup center Zach Collins deals with a quadriceps injury that limited him for the majority of training camp.
Collins has struggled with injuries throughout his short tenure in Chicago, missing all but 10 games last season because of first a broken left wrist and then a sprained right big toe, both of which required surgery.
For the sake of the preseason — which begins Wednesday night at the United Center against the Phoenix Suns — losing the two big men isn’t too much of a loss for the Bulls. Splitter could use some extra time to study potential backups in the frontcourt, most notably two-way forward Tobe Awaka.
Although Awaka is slightly undersized at 6-foot-8, the Bulls brought him in as an undrafted rookie out of Arizona to provide power and physicality in the low post. Splitter is open to a wide range of experimentation in the preseason.
“Especially the first game of the preseason, you try things,” Splitter said. “I will try to give minutes to everyone, see different rotations, different bigs, go small, maybe go double big. Who knows?”
But if Claxton or Collins — or both — remain unavailable when the season starts Oct. 21, the Bulls will have to get creative with a cavalry of players who mostly fit into the four position.
The Bulls are awash in fours. Besides rookie focal point Caleb Wilson, the roster features similarly stretchy forwards Matas Buzelis, Jalen Smith, Leonard Miller and Noa Essengue. There’s no 7-footer on the roster, but all of those forwards range from 6-8 to 6-11.
“Although we don’t have a 7-footer or a 7-foot-2 (player), we’re all pretty tall,” Wilson said. “Our point guard (Josh Giddey) is like 6-foot-6. Me and Matas are around 6-foot-10, and our biggest guy is probably going to be the same height as us.
“So having that ability to switch up and down the lineup and also be long and create opportunities at the basket, it’s good.”
Smith has played center in the past, although he prefers the four to maximize his off-ball rim protection and mobility as an inside-out big man. Essengue has shot up 3 inches from the 6-8 the Bulls listed him at as a rookie, but he struggled to earn summer league minutes
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as Splitter grapples with the forward’s lack of aggressiveness — particularly on the boards.On paper, the Bulls don’t mind swapping out size for versatility and speed. Splitter considers his offensive scheme to be positionless, which is encouraging for a roster built around a wealth of jumbo-sized wings. The preseason will offer opportunities for Splitter to tinker with lineups and rotations that cater to going smaller. But a size disparity can become painful on defense.
Claxton could return by the opener, but if either he or Collins is unavailable for the early games, the Bulls will be hard-pressed to match size with size on defense. Wilson, 20, views himself closer to a three than a five. Still, between his two young forwards, Splitter feels Wilson is already more physically prepared, both in size and strength, to guard NBA big men than Buzelis, who turns 22 next week.
If the projected starting lineup isn’t fully available to open the season, some of those early big-man matchups could provide an early test for Wilson, who wants to make an impression with his defense as a rookie.
“I’m good with it,” Wilson said. “I’ve just got to be physical and hold my ground and make sure I box out. Luckily I’m really tall too. That helps a lot.”