With 35-year-old Nikola Vucevic remaining the incumbent starter, the Chicago Bulls were always going to be thin at the center spot this season. Now, with the news that Zach Collins has undergone wrist surgery and will be out for at least four weeks, that lack of depth looks even more troubling.
Collins was the team's most productive center during the preseason. Head coach Billy Donovan will have to look even further down his bench to find a way to spell Vucevic, who will likely hit the 1,000 career games mark before the calendar turns to 2026.
Bulls center Zach Collins to miss at least four weeks after surgery
Per the Bulls' X (formerly Twitter) page, the 27-year-old Collins underwent surgery on his left wrist to repair a non-displaced fracture and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
Medical Update: F/C Zach Collins underwent successful surgery yesterday to repair a non-displaced fracture in his left wrist.
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 18, 2025
He will be reevaluated in four weeks. pic.twitter.com/LkgUw4rFHW
In 17.5 minutes per game across all five contests this preseason, Collins averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting 78.1 percent from the field. He also showed some ability to stretch the floor, hitting three of his six 3-point attempts.
The 10th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Collins brings a different element to Chicago's lineup. While Vucevic remains a nightly double-double threat heading into his 15th season, he's a minus athlete and a sieve defensively. Collins isn't an intimidating rim-protector, but at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds with above-average athleticism, he's far more capable on that end of the floor.
Jalen Smith is another option Donovan has at the five, but he started the team's final preseason game next to Vucevic in a two-big lineup. At 215 pounds, he's a far better fit as a power forward than a center. Lachlan Olbrich was the Bulls' second-round pick in this summer's draft but is a long way away from contributing in the NBA.
Matas Buzelis is an option as a small-ball center, but that's not a nightly solution. Perhaps Noa Essengue gets more run to give Chicago extra length, but he's not prepared to play a significant role against NBA bigs.
Losing Collins is a massive blow to the Bulls' rotation.