An under-the-radar big man has made big splashes for the Bulls this season.
The Chicago Bulls have won four consecutive games and are above .500 for the first time since Thanksgiving. Analysts and fans can point to the healthy return of Coby White or the steady improvement of Matas Buzelis as reasons why the team has succeeded of late, but Jalen Smith is the unsung hero of it all.
A former top-10 pick who flamed out in Phoenix and spent time in Indiana, Smith has come into his own during his second season with the Bulls. Billy Donovan's team struggled with interior defense for large stretches of the year — especially during its five- and seven-game losing streaks — but seems to have now found a solution with double-big lineups.
Smith was forced to play center early on while Zach Collins recovered from a broken wrist. The results weren't always optimal. Nikola Vucevic and Smith were spread thin as the last lines of defense, and the Bulls allowed the NBA's third-most points in the paint through December 15.
Collins' return allowed Donovan to experiment with playing two of him, Vucevic and Smith at the same time, and Chicago hasn't looked back. Even though Collins only lasted 10 games before suffering a toe sprain, the emergence of the Vucevic-Smith pairing has turned the Bulls' season around.
"Usually when we've had the one-big lineup, we've been scoring a lot in the paint, and we've been out-rebounded a lot," Smith told the media following a Monday shootaround. "I feel as though with two bigs out there, it deters a lot of guards from wanting to come into the paint. Obviously, they're still going to attack it, but it gives them that wall, that force that they've got to go through."
The 6-foot-10, lanky big man known as "Stix" has bulked up from 215 pounds to 244 since entering the league in 2020, but he never really found his fit as a center or a power forward. Smith played a bit at the '4' at Maryland and during his first years in the NBA, but in his own words, it "didn't go as well."
He became a reliable backup center with the Pacers and the Bulls, and after spending time this summer working with Chicago's player development staff, Smith's skillset finally found a suitable form alongside Vucevic.
Jan 2, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Jalen Smith (25) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
In 178 non-garbage time minutes this season with Smith and Vucevic on the floor together, the Bulls are 8.5 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. That has exceeded lineups in which Donovan has had just one of Smith (+7.2 in 458 possessions), Vucevic (-5.6 in 1,096 possessions) or Collins (-7.3 in 100 possessions) manning the center spot.
"I feel like our games complement each other," Smith said about Vucevic. "Obviously, both of us are pick-and-pop threats. He's more pick-and-pop than pick-and-roll. I can do a little bit as well. But I feel as though it spreads the defense out a lot more. It causes matchups where they put a guard on Vooch and a big on me, or vice versa. We're able to work around that and leave our offense to the guards to get them more space."
The Bulls are 13-7 since December 15 — the third-best record in the league in that time — and Smith has become an integral part of the lineup. He's now playing 25.5 minutes per game while averaging 12.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in the month of January, all of which would be career-highs over a full season.
Stix has started eight of the last 11 games he's played. In those 11 games, the Bulls are 8-3, and the versatile big man has scored in double figures in seven consecutive contests.
This is arguably the biggest role Smith has had in his six-year career. With the Bulls amid a potentially franchise-altering stretch ahead of the deadline, Smith has risen to the occasion and has finally found a space for his game to blossom. Having that kind of responsibility is "fun," Smith said, and he's making the most of his opportunity.
"At the end of the day, everybody in the NBA is a basketball player. Any time your number is called, you've got to get out there and be ready to produce at any given time. My main goal is just to be out there and try to impact winning, try to find a way to help my team to wins."