Bulls Notebook: Four Injuries, One Shared Date

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Tuesday, September 22

The Bulls enter camp with four players tagged day-to-day toward the same return date, and a preseason schedule that now locks in the runway before opening night. Nothing has changed on the transaction front this week; the roster news has come from projection columns, not moves.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

Same date, four times. Dailyn Swain, Josh Giddey, Rob Dillingham and Zach Collins are all listed day-to-day on the injury report, and every one of them shares the same estimated return date: October 1. Four separate injuries pointing at one calendar square, before a single camp practice has been reported.

Minutes ready to spike. When a teammate sits, Rob Dillingham's workload jumped 13 minutes a night over his last three games last season, close to a starter's clock. Patrick Williams saw the same swing, up 14 minutes over his final three. If any of the four day-to-day cases lingers into camp, the backups already know the shape of the increase.

Preseason on the calendar. Chicago opens exhibition play October 7 against the Suns, hosts the Grizzlies October 9, then travels for a back-to-back: at the Nuggets October 11 on ESPN, at the Bucks October 14. Four tune-up games before the record means anything.

Real opener set. The regular season opens October 21 at Toronto, three weeks from today. Every day-to-day tag on the injury list is being measured against that date, not against a camp scrimmage that has not even been reported yet.

What the beat is chewing on. Pippen Ain't Easy has filled the week with projection pieces: best and worst-case outcomes for every offseason addition, a development case for Caleb Wilson, and a column crediting Taj Gibson with knowing what a competitive roster requires. None of it is a transaction, just opinion ahead of camp.

One number to watch. Last season's net rating was -5.3, 23rd in the league — the floor this coaching change is trying to raise. Nothing on the new schedule tests that number yet; the first read comes October 21.

On deck Preseason opens October 7 against the Suns, with games October 9, at the Nuggets October 11 on ESPN and at the Bucks October 14, before the regular season begins October 21 at Toronto.

When do the Chicago Bulls play their first game this season?

The preseason opens October 7 against the Suns; the regular season begins October 21 at the Raptors.

Which Bulls players are injured right now?

Dailyn Swain, Josh Giddey, Rob Dillingham and Zach Collins are all listed day-to-day, and each one is pointing toward an October 1 return.