{"id":612531,"date":"2026-02-19T23:39:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/612531\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T23:39:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T23:39:21","slug":"bulls-vs-raptors-injury-report-josh-giddey-makes-long-awaited-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/612531\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls vs. Raptors Injury Report: Josh Giddey Makes Long-Awaited Return"},"content":{"rendered":"

Josh Giddey is on track to return Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors after missing nearly three weeks with a re-aggravated left hamstring strain. The Chicago Bulls listed Giddey as probable on their official injury report, and after a full practice on Wednesday, all signs point toward his long-awaited return.<\/p>\n

This matters for a Bulls team that limped into the All-Star break on a six-game losing streak, including a 124-105 loss to the Boston Celtics. Chicago hasn\u2019t won in February. Getting its primary playmaker back could shift the tone immediately.<\/p>\n

Giddey has been sidelined since Jan. 28 against the Indiana Pacers, when he re-aggravated a hamstring injury originally suffered Dec. 29 versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. He missed 11 games after the initial strain, returned Jan. 22 in Minnesota, and led Chicago to a 120-115 win. But after four appearances, the hamstring tightened again.<\/p>\n

Before the injury, Giddey was producing at an All-Star level:<\/p>\n

18.6 points per game8.6 rebounds per game8.8 assists per game<\/p>\n

He ultimately missed out on his first All-Star selection, but his near triple-double averages underscore how central he is to Chicago\u2019s offensive structure.<\/p>\n

Expect a minutes restriction. In his previous return stint, Giddey averaged 26.8 minutes across four games. The Bulls are unlikely to push him beyond 30 minutes in his first game back, especially given the recurring nature of the strain.<\/p>\n

A Different Backcourt Around Him\"\"<\/p>\n

Giddey\u2019s return also comes in a new context. Since he last played, Chicago overhauled its guard rotation, trading Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Dalen Terry, while adding Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, Jaden Ivey, and Rob Dillingham.<\/p>\n

The offense he steps into will look different. The pace may be quicker. The spacing could improve. The question now becomes how quickly Giddey can reassert himself as the system\u2019s connective piece.<\/p>\n

Other Bulls on the Injury Report\"\"<\/p>\n

Giddey isn\u2019t the only Bull trending toward availability. Tre Jones (left hamstring strain) is also listed as probable and could return for the first time since Jan. 22. Jalen Smith (strained right calf) is probable as well after missing three games and is expected to resume his role at center.<\/p>\n

Zach Collins remains out with a sprained right first toe. He has been sidelined since Dec. 27 and has spent extended time in a walking boot. A re-evaluation is expected soon, but no firm timetable exists.<\/p>\n

Noa Essengue is out for the season following shoulder surgery in early December. Two-way players Yuki Kawamura and Mac McClung are unavailable due to contract status.<\/p>\n

Toronto enters the matchup in far better shape. The Raptors list just two players on their injury report: Sandro Mamukelashvili (rib contusion) and Collin Murray-Boyles, both probable.<\/p>\n

That makes Giddey\u2019s return even more significant. Chicago needs stability, shot creation, and composure. When healthy, Giddey provides all three. After weeks of waiting, the Bulls finally get their floor general back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Josh Giddey is on track to return Thursday night against the Toronto Raptors after missing nearly three weeks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":612532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3771],"tags":[4329,4102,7,75,920,919,329,3824,963,1585,126,1018,965,6,476,6277,4104],"class_list":{"0":"post-612531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bulls","8":"tag-anfernee-simons","9":"tag-ayo-dosunmu","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-boston-celtics","12":"tag-bulls","13":"tag-chicago","14":"tag-chicago-bulls","15":"tag-chicagobulls","16":"tag-coby-white","17":"tag-collin-sexton","18":"tag-indiana-pacers","19":"tag-jaden-ivey","20":"tag-josh-giddey","21":"tag-nba","22":"tag-toronto-raptors","23":"tag-tre-jones","24":"tag-zach-collins"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116099939806478777","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=612531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/612531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/612532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=612531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=612531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=612531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}