Team context: Chicago Bulls · Research cutoff: July 18, 2026.
Role and baseline
Smith averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.5 threes, and 0.8 blocks in 20.7 minutes across 53 games, shooting .483 from the field and .742 from the line. Bulls season review · Basketball-Reference
His season ended early. Smith strained his right calf against Philadelphia on January 29, missed the next two games, suffered a setback that cost him the three games before the All-Star break, and then aggravated the same calf in March; Chicago ruled him out for the remainder of the season. Nothing indicates a lingering restriction into the summer, but it is a recurrence pattern in the same muscle within one season. CBS, aggravates calf injury
Elias Schuster's July 2 depth analysis identified Smith and Zach Collins as the primary backup-center battle behind Nic Claxton, while noting Smith could also play some four. Sports Illustrated, July 2, 2026
2026-27 projection
| GP | Min | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 7 | .485 | .745 | 0.5 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Base rotation allocation: 7 of Chicago's exactly 240 minutes.
Correction 2026-07-18: Smith was previously given 12 baseline minutes and the initial edge over Zach Collins at backup five. Reversed. Chicago committed roughly $8.5M per season to retain Collins on a two-year extension agreed June 30 and committed no new money to Smith, who finished 2025-26 shut down with a recurring right calf strain. Five of his minutes move to Collins; the team model still totals 240. He remains the first man up if Collins's toe is not cleared. NBA.com, July 1, 2026
Fantasy fit
- Redraft: undrafted in standard leagues; premium big-man streamer if he reaches 20 minutes.
- Points: replacement-level without a center injury.
- Dynasty: inexpensive per-minute depth, capped by a crowded frontcourt.
- Strengths: rebounds, blocks, threes from center; manageable turnovers.
Range and triggers
- Floor: a healthy Collins plus another calf recurrence pushes him out of the rotation entirely.
- Ceiling: 22 minutes and roughly 11/7 with 1.5 threes and one block—top-130 streaming value.
- Watch: preseason position, Collins's toe, Claxton's finger, and whether Chicago trades a veteran big.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Two seasons at Maryland (Big Ten). 2018-19 freshman: 33 games, 26.7 mpg, 11.7 pts / 6.8 reb / 1.2 blk on .492 FG, .268 3P, .658 FT; Big Ten All-Freshman Team. 2019-20 sophomore: 31 games, 31.3 mpg, 15.5 pts / 10.5 reb / 2.4 blk on .538 FG, .368 3P, .750 FT, with 21 double-doubles, first-team All-Big Ten, Big Ten All-Defensive Team and third-team All-American. Draft: 2020, round 1, pick 10, Phoenix.
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 20 | PHX | 27 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | .440 | .714 | 0.3 |
| 2021-22 | 21 | PHX/IND | 51 | 18.1 | 9.2 | 6.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | .490 | .765 | 0.8 |
| 2022-23 | 22 | IND | 68 | 18.8 | 9.4 | 5.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | .476 | .759 | 1.1 |
| 2023-24 | 23 | IND | 61 | 17.2 | 9.9 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | .592 | .692 | 0.7 |
| 2024-25 | 24 | CHI | 64 | 15.0 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.1 | .466 | .809 | 0.6 |
| 2025-26 | 25 | CHI | 53 | 20.7 | 10.2 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.5 | .483 | .742 | 1.0 |
| Career | — | — | 324 | 16.9 | 8.7 | 5.5 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | .501 | .752 | 0.8 |
The 2021-22 row is a combined line. Phoenix used him for 29 games at 13.2 mpg (6.0 pts) before the February 10, 2022 trade to Indiana; the 22-game Pacers stretch that followed was the best run of his career at 24.7 mpg, 13.4 pts and 7.6 reb on .531 FG. The 2021-22 FG% and FT% shown are computed from the combined season and not taken from a single-team row.
Durability: 27 / 51 / 68 / 61 / 64 / 53. The rookie-year total was rotation exclusion rather than injury — Phoenix declined his third-year option, the rare move on a top-ten pick. The 2025-26 total is the one genuine health flag: a right calf strain suffered January 29 against Philadelphia, a setback that cost the three games before the All-Star break, and a March re-aggravation that ended his season on March 26. Three separate absences from the same muscle in one season.
Trajectory: Six years in, Smith is a settled per-minute producer whose counting rates have been stable across three franchises: roughly 5.5 rebounds, 0.7 blocks and now 1.5 threes on a 20-minute allotment, with turnovers kept under one per game. What he has never done is hold a starting job — 77 starts in 324 games, and the 21 starts in 2025-26 came largely by injury default. He enters 2026-27 third in Chicago's frontcourt behind Nic Claxton and a re-signed Zach Collins, with Collins getting roughly $8.5M a year in new money and Smith getting none. He is fantasy-relevant only on a specific trigger: Collins's toe failing to clear, a Claxton absence, or Chicago moving a veteran big at the deadline. Any of those puts him back near 20 minutes, where he has produced streamable big-man lines with the rare center three-point volume.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · StatMuse season averages · Wikipedia — college seasons, awards, draft · Arizona Sports — Suns trade Smith to Pacers for Torrey Craig · CBS — Smith aggravates calf injury
Open questions
- Is he ahead of Collins for the backup five?
- Can he play enough power forward beside Claxton to retain 18-plus minutes?
- Will a younger forward displace him entirely?