Nic Claxton was slated to be the Chicago Bulls' starting center this season, but a hamstring injury suffered during training camp has kept him off the court to this point. The 27-year-old is expected to make his debut on Nov. 8 against the Philadelphia 76ers, though, and his impact will change not only the team's center unit but its rotation as a whole.
Executive VP of basketball operations Bryson Graham acquired Claxton from the Brooklyn Nets shortly before the 2026 NBA Draft. In what was one of the shrewdest moves of his early tenure, he landed Claxton and gave up zero assets in the process, simply absorbing him into his team's cap space.
The 31st pick in the 2019 draft is the kind of rim-runner and rim-protector the Bulls need on their back line. He won't solve all of head coach Tiago Splitter's defensive issues — that list is too long for any one player to fix — but his return should change quite a bit.
The Bulls need Nic Claxton back ASAP
Jalen Smith has admirably held down the center spot in Claxton's absence, but the 6-foot-8 stretch big isn't doing the team any favors in the paint. The oft-injured Zach Collins has played 52 total minutes in six games. It's been a lot of Stix, Caleb Wilson and Noa Essengue playing the five.
Claxton is a different player and a prototypical modern NBA center.
At his peak from 2022-24, the former Georgia Bulldog averaged 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 66.7 percent from the field. He finished ninth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the 2022-23 campaign.
He hasn't been as productive the last few seasons — he averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks with the Nets last year — but is still far and away the best option Chicago has inside. He's also become an underrated playmaker for a big (3.7 assists per game last season).
As of Nov. 8, the Bulls are allowing a league-worst 129.6 points per game and are 27th in points allowed in the paint (53.0). Claxton should provide a boost in both areas.
Claxton will shift other players into their more natural positions
Even if he doesn't immediately play heavy minutes, Claxton will help make players like Smith and Wilson more comfortable.
Smith will presumably shift back into his more natural role as a backup, spark-plug big off the bench. He can act as a small-ball five or play alongside Claxton and space the floor. He'll allow Wilson to play more on the perimeter. Ditto for Matas Buzelis.
Essengue and Leonard Miller will likely see fewer minutes, but that's OK at this point in the season and for their development. Collins could be a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency center, which is his best role on this team anyway.
Claxton will also be a much-needed last line of defense behind Josh Giddey, Norman Powell, Tre Jones and the other Bulls' guards who can't slow down anybody.
He won't carry Chicago to a ton of wins, but Claxton will affect the team's rotation in several positive ways.
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