The Chicago Bulls have been bitten by the injury bug to start the 2025-26 NBA season. Chicago will be without leading scorer Coby White, and top backup center option Zach Collins, to open up the new NBA year. White is slated to be reevaluated in two weeks for his right calf injury, while Collins will be out for at least four weeks following left wrist surgery. The Bulls depth was going to be one of their primary strengths heading into this season, and now that identity is already in jeopardy. The Bulls will still be able to play their preferred brand of up-tempo basketball, but it is fair to question just how effective it will be sans White and Collins. 

Chicago's first 10 games to open the season will truly show how much fight this year's team has in it. Last season the Bulls made a dramatic shift in how they approached things on offense. Over the 2024-25 season the Bulls finished third in 3-point FGAs and 13th in 3-pt percentage (36.7%). These figures come in a season where the Bulls had Zach LaVine for some time, a career-best shooting year from Giddey, and a full season of Coby White. Chicago is already without two of those three things this season, and the third isn't looking great after Giddey shot below 32% from 3 in the preseason. 

The Bulls start their regular season with matchups with a pair of teams that finished in the top-10 in Defensive Rating in the Detroit Pistons (10th) and Orlando Magic (2nd). These teams have great length across the board, and play a physical brand of defense that will force the Bulls to commit hard on their drives to the rim. Chicago has players outside of White who can generate solid drive-and-kick offense, but White's speed combined with his ability to shoot from deep and get defenders off balance make his involvement crucial to the success of the Bulls' offense.

Things don't get any easier from there, as the Bulls take on the new-look, fully reloaded Atlanta Hawks, and end October with back-to-back matchups with the Knicks before showdowns against the Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, and San Antonio Spurs. This is where the loss of Collins becomes just as important as the loss of White. 

Assuming oft-injured bigs Kristaps Porzingis (now an Atlanta Hawk) and Joel Embiid play for Atlanta and Philadelphia respectively, the Bulls will essentially see a gauntlet of former and current All-Star centers. A group that also includes Karl-Anthony Towns, Victor Wembanyama, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

This was already going to be a decent-sized challenge for the Bulls before Collins went down, but now it represents a monumental challenge. If Nikola Vucevic or Jalen Smith get into foul trouble or have injury concerns themselves, Chicago will be forced to play uncomfortably small lineups. Billy Donovan is comfortable working with small, multi-guard groups, but there is only so much the Bulls can do defensively without dependable minutes at the five.

Jalen Smith knows he will need to step up as the backup center, a role he lost out on down the stretch last season. Tre Jones knows he will need to provide a playmaking spark to a group that will be without White's 4.5 assists per game. All that is left is for the Bulls reserves to show us that they can help keep the team afloat until they get back to full strength. 

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