Nic Claxton to miss at least two more weeks as Bulls open without their new center

Nic Claxton will not be part of the Chicago Bulls‘ first two weeks of the regular season. Coach Tiago Splitter said Monday that the center is expected to miss at least two more weeks with his hamstring strain, a setback for a team that traded for him to be its starting big man.

The update came on the day Claxton’s original two-week window ran out. K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network was among those who relayed the new timeline, which pushes the next real checkpoint to early November.

A camp that never got going

Claxton hurt the hamstring early in training camp, and Splitter set the first two-week window on Monday, October 5. He did not play in any of Chicago’s five preseason games. Last week Splitter described him as the one injured Bull who was not trending up, so Monday’s news confirmed what the signs already suggested.

Chicago acquired the 27-year-old from Brooklyn in a June trade that sent Julius Randle to the Nets. Claxton averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and a career-high 3.7 assists in 69 games last season, and the Bulls wanted his rim protection and high-post passing to change a defense that helped sink a 31-51 season. Soft-tissue injuries like this one tend to be handled slowly, and a club planning around him for 82 games has little reason to hurry.

What it means for the rotation

Jalen Smith becomes the most likely starter at center. He took most of the first-unit minutes in camp and scored in double figures in several preseason games. Zach Collins, who was cleared for full contact late last week after his own injury, is the next big in line, and Splitter has also used smaller frontcourts with Matas Buzelis and Leonard Miller.

The timeline covers a demanding opening stretch: Toronto, Milwaukee, Washington, Boston and New York all come before Claxton is due to be looked at again. Every team’s status is tracked on the WhyNBA injury report.

What comes next

The Bulls open the season at the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, October 21, at 7:30 p.m. ET, with Claxton out. Follow the game in the Bulls vs. Raptors Game Center. His next evaluation should land around Monday, November 2.