A hamstring tweak that won’t offer up any clarity until just before the start of the regular season isn’t ideal for Nic Claxton, but it is the hand that’s been dealt for the center.
Whether he can answer the bell for the opener in Toronto in two weeks or not, however, Bulls coach Tiago Splitter sees a key piece to the rebuild in the 27-year-old.
“I think he’s a great fit,” Splitter said on Wednesday. “I think he can run the court, I think he can protect the rim. His production wasn’t as good as maybe two, three years ago last year. We believe there is a reason behind it, and we just want to have the best Nic we can have.”
Claxton explained that “reason” early on in camp, admitting that back issues derailed his 2024-25 season, but the Nets commitment to tanking last year was why his minutes were cut into.
The bad news for the Bulls in the short-term was no Claxton and no Zach Collins (quad) for the preseason opener. Collins could be back very soon, but Claxton is an unknown.
“Of course it is not great that he’s injured and that’s something we’ve got to be patient with,” Splitter added. “Let him heal and get in good shape. But the way he plays, the way he puts pressure at the rim, rolls, he can leap over the rim, so I think he’s important for our offense and our defense.”
Talk isn’t cheap
Communication breakdowns on the defensive end have seemingly been a staple in Bulls basketball the previous five seasons, and that’s why Norman Powell is so adamant about putting an end to that and starting new habits.
A reminder of just why the veteran guard was signed in the summer.
“Drills are great but as soon as that live play happens you kind of lose that sense and you start to try and anticipate,” Powell said of making sure to stay talking as a team. “Just being on them each and every day that we have to talk, we have to communicate where building winning habits happen. Making sure we’re not having two guys go to one player in different rotations, so just staying on them and reinforcing those winning habits on both ends of the ball.”
Remember me?
As much as the Bulls try and move off of Patrick Williams, he has 18 million reasons he’s not going anywhere. Then another $18 million next season and an $18 million player option for the year after that.
So how exactly has he looked in training camp, fighting for a spot at the back end of the rotation?
“I think it’s hard to evaluate guys from practice,” Splitter said. “We want to see what it looks like when the lights are on and go from there. We know how he plays. I’ve coached against him, so we know where he’s at.
“He’s doing the right things, doing the things I’ve asked him to do. The role I’m asking him to do he’s getting it done.”
King for a day
The Bulls honored former broadcaster and three-time NBA champion Stacey King with a moment of silence before Wednesday’s game with the Suns and will do so again in the regular-season home opener. They will also wear a patch starting in the regular season to remember King.
He died on June 7 at the age of 59.