Bulls center Nic Claxton out with hamstring injury, re-evaluation in two weeks
Nic Claxton is out with a hamstring injury and is expected to miss two more weeks. The Bulls center is listed with an estimated return of Nov. 4. He has not played in any of Chicago's first five games.
By the Bulls Nightly Desk · updated 2 d ago01The story of the nightWhere Claxton's injury standsClaxton is listed as out with a hamstring injury to his leg, with an estimated return of Nov.
Claxton is listed as out with a hamstring injury to his leg, with an estimated return of Nov. 4. His status changed on Oct. 19, when he went from day-to-day to out. K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network reports that Claxton will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The injury first appeared on the report on Oct. 5, when he was listed as day-to-day with the same hamstring problem. A report that day said he would be out at least two weeks. Another report on Oct. 19 says he is expected to miss two more weeks. That timeline puts the return date in early November, though it depends on the re-evaluation.
02A quiet start to the seasonThe Bulls have played five games this season, and Claxton has no recorded stats in any of them.
The Bulls have played five games this season, and Claxton has no recorded stats in any of them. Chicago beat Phoenix on Oct. 7, lost to Memphis on Oct. 9 and lost to Denver on Oct. 11. The Bulls then beat Milwaukee on Oct. 14 and Minnesota on Oct. 16. That is a 3-2 start. Claxton's lines for all five games show zeros across the board, with no minutes played. The center has yet to make his Bulls debut, and he will not before the Nov. 4 estimate at the earliest.
03What Claxton brings from last seasonClaxton is 27 and in his seventh NBA season.
Claxton is 27 and in his seventh NBA season. He is listed at 6-11 and 215 pounds and wears No. 9. Last season he played for Brooklyn and appeared in 69 games. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 blocks in 27.8 minutes. He shot 57.1 percent from the field and 61.6 percent from the free-throw line. His true shooting percentage was 59.2, and his usage rate was 17.5. Brooklyn was minus-7.5 with him on the floor. He also averaged 0.7 steals and 1.4 turnovers per game. Those are 2025-26 numbers, not current ones.
04How his last season endedClaxton's final stretch with Brooklyn last season was rough for the team.
Claxton's final stretch with Brooklyn last season was rough for the team. The Nets lost to Atlanta on April 3, and he scored 16 points with five rebounds and two assists in 24.9 minutes. Brooklyn also lost to Charlotte on March 31, when he had four points, four rebounds and three assists. He scored 10 points with seven rebounds in a win over Sacramento on March 29. Two days earlier he had 16 points and seven rebounds against the Lakers in a loss. Those were his last five games of 2025-26, and the Nets went 1-4 in them.
05What to watch nextThe next checkpoint is the re-evaluation in about two weeks.
The next checkpoint is the re-evaluation in about two weeks. If the hamstring heals on schedule, Claxton could return around Nov. 4. Until then, the Bulls will play without the center they added from Brooklyn. Chicago's early record is 3-2, so the team has stayed afloat in the meantime. Any update to the return date will likely come from Johnson or from the team's injury report. His history shows the timeline has already stretched once, from a two-week minimum on Oct. 5 to another two weeks on Oct. 19.
Claxton11.7 ppg
BKN