The Chicago Bulls’ best player, point guard Josh Giddey, had been in the midst of a fringe All-Star season (fine, fine, maybe a fringe All-Star injury replacement season). But he’s also been out of commission for the last two weeks with a hamstring strain.
With Chicago set to square off against lottery teams three times in the next six days, the team could certainly use as many healthy bodies as it can get to notch easy wins.
According to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, Giddey has been rehabbing the injury… slowly. Chicago’s medical team is keeping tabs on his progress, and apparently does not yet feel he’s ready to take next steps just yet. That said, at least head coach Billy Donovan doesn’t feel there has been any major regression.
Giddey is doing on-court work, but medical staff is monitoring when it makes sense for him to ramp up. No time table, but there haven’t been any setbacks, per Billy Donovan. Donovan also says Essengue was uncomfortable with sling initially, but is in the weight room.
— Joel Lorenzi (@JoelXLorenzi) January 10, 2026This week — with or without Giddey — the 18-20 Bulls will play just one good team. And even that team has been running out of gas lately. Coby White, meanwhile, is already back with the Bulls; his play has been uneven since returning from the calf tightness that has cost him much of the year, however.
Center Zach Collins, meanwhile, remains shelved indefinitely with a big toe sprain.
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesMeet The Bulls’ Opponents
1/13 at Houston Rockets: The jumbo-sized Rockets initially looked to be not merely surviving, but thriving without one-time All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet available after an ACL tear suffered in the preseason. But Houston has begun to feel the loss. The Rockets have dropped their last three straight as of this writing, including most recently an 111-98 defeat to the hapless Sacramento Kings on Sunday, who have yet to win their 10th game this season (they’re 9-30).
The 22-14 Rockets’ recent skid has actually dropped them below Kevin Durant’s last team, the 24-15 Phoenix Suns, and into the Western Conference’s play-in tournament bracket as the No. 7 seed. Still, Houston is just 2.5 games behind the No. 3-seeded Denver Nuggets, so this minor dip could certainly be fixed.
Head coach Ime Udoka has been toggling his starting lineups a bit, recently demoting center Steven Adams to a bench role and shifting All-Star Alperen Sengun to the five spot. Regardless of the rotations, the Rockets’ bigs should be able to make mincemeat of the Bulls’ undermanned, defense-averse frontcourt.
1/14 vs Utah Jazz: Armed with ex-Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen performing at an All-Star level, plus rising guard Keyonte George, Utah had looked like a frisky spoiler for much of the early season. But Danny Ainge’s Jazz may have stumbled into full-on tank mode.
During their most recent game on Saturday, the 13-25 Jazz got obliterated by the similarly bad Charlotte Hornets (who are 14-25 this season) by 55 points, 150-95.
Life has gotten tough defensively in the interior without starting center Walker Kessler, out for the season due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder. 37-year-old Kevin Love is currently Utah’s starting center, although Will Hardy has experimented with installing second-year former Duke Blue Devil Kyle Filipowski as his preferred Kessler backup.
1/16 at Brooklyn Nets, 1/18 vs Brooklyn Nets: Thanks to these two home-and-home tilts, the Bulls will get an up-close-and-personal look at rumored trade prospect Michael Porter Jr.
The 6-foot-10 Missouri product has been putting up great numbers for the 11-25 Nets.
Although he was mostly stuck in the corner for the Denver Nuggets during their contending years, Porter has looked like a borderline All-Star with the ball in his hands more for the 11-25 Nets. Granted, it could be a bit of an empty-calorie situation. It’s unclear if Porter has really leveled up, or is just getting the most shots on a developing team.
Through 29 healthy bouts this season, the 27-year-old has been averaging 25.9 points on .490/.397/.833 shooting splits, 7.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Brad Penner-Imagn ImagesBulls Projected Lineup
Tre Jones Coby White Isaac Okoro Matas Buzelis Nikola VucevicProjected Opponent Lineups
Houston Rockets
Aaron Holiday Amen Thompson Kevin Durant Jabari Smith Jr. Alperen SengunUtah Jazz
Keyonte George Cody Williams Brice Sensabaugh Lauri Markkanen Jusuf NurkicBrooklyn Nets
Davion Mitchell Norm Powell Andrew Wiggins Bam Adebayo Kel’el WareUnavailable/Injured (at the start of the week)
Bulls: Noa Essengue OUT (shoulder), Zach Collins OUT (right first toe), Josh Giddey OUT (hamstring), Trentyn Flowers OUT (right knee). Rockets: Fred VanVleet OUT (knee), Tari Eason OUT (ankle). Jazz: Walker Kessler OUT (shoulder), Georges Niang OUT (foot). Nets: Haywood Highsmith OUT (knee), E.J. Liddell OUT (knee), Drake Powell OUT (knee), Ben Saraf OUT (knee), Ziaire Williams OUT (illness). Patrick Gorski-Imagn ImagesHence then, the article about bulls weekly preview will josh giddey return battles with new look rockets two lottery teams was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Bulls Weekly Preview: Will Josh Giddey Return? Battles with New-Look Rockets, Two Lottery Teams )
Also on site :