Bulls’ Claxton will miss the start of the season with a hamstring injury

The Bulls will begin the season short-handed as starting center Nic Claxton remains sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason.

Coach Tiago Splitter said Monday that Claxton will be out for roughly two more weeks after the team’s medical staff reevaluated him this week. The Bulls open the season Wednesday against the Raptors in Toronto.

Splitter wouldn’t specify whether Claxton will need an additional reevaluation after that two-week window. The Bulls are hopeful he’ll be available by the first week of November.

“This is not a science,” Splitter said. “I wish I could tell you guys, ‘Hey, 13 (days) left and then he’s going to play.’ It’s not like that. Everybody’s different. Everybody reacts to treatment different. Everybody reacts to practice different.

“On average, he should be back in two weeks. But that’s all I can do.”

In the meantime, Jalen Smith will fill in for Claxton in the starting lineup. The 6-foot-8 Smith was projected to be the power forward in the second unit alongside backup center Zach Collins.

But with Collins also sidelined by a quadriceps injury, Smith has been asked to step into a small-ball rotation that will rely on the length provided by taller forwards such as Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson. Undrafted rookie Tobe Awaka and forward Leonard Miller also will take on increased roles in the frontcourt to accommodate the absences.

Collins might return for Wednesday’s opener after practicing without limitations in Monday’s short session. Afterward Collins noted that he might have been held out of a more intense practice, but he voiced confidence in his physical readiness and his response to this initial test.

Collins has not yet been cleared to play Wednesday and expects to be held to a minutes restriction if he does receive authorization from the medical team.

“We’ll see,” he said about his playing time. “I don’t want to say that (I can play) but then I don’t. I do think that if I feel like I do right now (Tuesday), and if we practice again and I still feel good, then I think I will.”

The injuries will limit the Bulls’ ability to play double-big lineups, which had interested Splitter because of the team’s personnel.

Rim protection is also a crucial piece of the Bulls’ defensive scheme, which aims to pressure more heavily at the perimeter and point of attack. Without a rim protector like Claxton, the Bulls won’t have the same safety blanket in the low block if defenders get beat outside.

Claxton’s and Collins’ injuries also will hamper the Bulls during a difficult opening stretch that includes games against the Raptors, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.