Jalen Smith was cleared on the Bulls' injury report Sunday night, lifting the Day-To-Day tag he had carried since Friday. The move clears him to be available as Chicago opens its season at Denver.
What happened
Jalen Smith was cleared Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9:21 p.m. ET, removing the Day-To-Day status he had carried since Friday, Oct. 9, when he was listed with a foot issue on his left leg. No further detail was given with the update, and the injury report does not include a comment. An expected return date was not announced, since the clearance means no further absence is tied to the issue at this time.
What it means for the Bulls
Chicago opens its season at Denver on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN, sitting at 0-0 with the 2026-27 season not yet underway. Last season Smith averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 20.7 minutes across 53 games, frontcourt depth behind Nikola Vucevic, who logged 30.8 minutes and 16.9 points per game in box scores without Smith on the floor. There is no record with or without him yet, since the regular season has not started.
What to watch
The next injury report will show whether Smith's clearance holds through the opener at Denver. No expected return timeline applies now that he has been cleared, and no further games beyond the Nuggets matchup were included in this report. Chicago's other listed players, including Tre Jones, Jaylin Sellers, Zach Collins and Nic Claxton, remain Day-To-Day.
Is Jalen Smith playing at Nuggets?
He was cleared on the Sunday, Oct. 11 injury report, after being listed Day-To-Day since Friday with a left leg foot issue.
When will Jalen Smith be back?
He already was cleared as of the Oct. 11 report. No return date applies since he is no longer listed as out or questionable, and no expected return was announced.