Five Bulls Share One Return Date as Chicago Visits Denver

By the Bulls Nightly Desk · Sunday, October 11

Chicago visits the Nuggets tonight with five players — Zach Collins, Matas Buzelis, Tre Jones, Jaylin Sellers and Jalen Smith — all carrying the same estimated return date. Nic Claxton's hamstring timeline, the most specific injury update of camp, still points to Oct 21, the regular-season opener at Toronto.

Bulls Nightly artwork — Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

One Shared Return Date. Zach Collins (toe), Matas Buzelis (ankle), Tre Jones (hip), Jaylin Sellers (back) and Jalen Smith (foot) all list today, Oct 11, as their estimated return — the same night Chicago plays at Denver. Five matching dates on paper do not guarantee five healthy bodies in the lineup.

Claxton's Two-Week Clock. Nic Claxton's hamstring, first flagged Oct 5, remains the most specific injury timeline on the roster: the estimated return is Oct 21, the regular-season opener at Toronto. The center many count on as the defensive anchor misses every remaining preseason game.

Tonight in Denver. Chicago closes out its road trip against a Nuggets team that went 54-28 last season behind Nikola Jokic's 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists a game. David Adelman's group gets a clean injury report; the Bulls, banged up at forward and in the backcourt, do not.

Powell as Enforcer. The Sun-Times has already made its case for Norman Powell as the locker room's tough-love voice. He backed it up Oct 9, making 10 of his 12 free throws and finishing plus-3 in a loss where most of the roster was buried in the minus column.

Miller's Minutes Climbing. Leonard Miller averaged 28.8 minutes a night over his final 10 games last season, 13.1 more than his season mark, a jump that came whenever a teammate in the frontcourt was out. With Claxton, Collins and Buzelis all compromised now, that trend is the one worth tracking.

The Cap Picture. Chicago's payroll sits at $164.3 million, comfortably under the $200.4 million luxury-tax line. Josh Giddey's $25 million is the largest number on the books, ahead of Claxton at $23.1 million and Powell at $21.5 million — the three players this roster is actually built around.

On deck After Denver, the preseason schedule has the Bulls at Milwaukee on Oct 14 and hosting Minnesota on Oct 16 before the regular season opens Oct 21 at Toronto.

Is Nic Claxton playing against the Nuggets tonight?

No. Claxton has been out since Oct 5 with a hamstring injury, and the estimated return is Oct 21, the regular-season opener at Toronto.

When do the Bulls open the regular season?

Chicago opens the regular season Oct 21 at Toronto, after preseason games at Milwaukee on Oct 14 and at home against Minnesota on Oct 16.