NEW YORK — Coach Billy Donovan would have loved to go at bigger teams with a two-big-man lineup last season, especially after the Bulls acquired Zach Collins just before the trade deadline.
There was one issue, however: Jalen Smith wasn’t effective when Donovan used the look.
It wasn’t that Smith wouldn’t do it. But every time he was out there, it just wasn’t working. Whether it was Smith with Collins, Smith with Nikola Vucevic or Smith as the lone big man on the court, there seemed to be too many empty minutes from a player the Bulls had been excited to pluck out of free agency months earlier.
That’s how Smith went from being a key rotation piece at the start of the 2024-25 season to an end-of-the-bench guy who was in and out of the rotation by April. It wasn’t what anyone saw coming.
It also forced Smith to get to work during the offseason.
‘‘Lots of times when they threw me out there last year, I wasn’t being impactful,’’ Smith said. ‘‘I was getting targeted [by the defense] a lot. I wasn’t rebounding. I wasn’t really doing anything to help the team. This year, my main goal coming in was to try and do whatever I can to stay on the court. If I’ve gotta rebound, I’ve gotta rebound. If I’ve gotta block shots, I block shots.
‘‘It’s about being ready at any point and time. I felt my preparation this summer with the player-development [coaches] helped out a lot. We worked on a lot of different situations, playing [power forward and center], with the main goal of just coming in and trying to impact the game as much as possible. Try to be overall a consistent player for the team and to try and help them win. They’ve trusted me, and now I’ve just got to continue.’’
He had better. As good as Smith has been off the bench this season, the Bulls are still 19-22 and trapped in play-in mediocrity. There are a lot of reasons why, but Smith — who goes by ‘‘Stix’’ — isn’t one of them.
His 18.7 minutes per game are the most he has played since 2022-23 with the Pacers. He’s averaging 9.4 points and 6.7 rebounds and is tied for third on the team in charges drawn. Whatever it takes to make an impact.
But those numbers don’t tell the full story.
Smith finished last season minus-36 in plus/minus. Not only does he lead the Bulls in that category through 41 games this season, but nobody is even close to his plus-61. Only two other players on the roster are even on the plus side: Collins at plus-18 and guard Coby White at plus-10.
‘‘He’s been great for us, honestly,’’ Vucevic said. ‘‘Playing [power forward and center], different situations, different positions. He’s done a great job for us protecting the paint, rebounding the ball, bringing us some physicality. I’ve enjoyed being out on the court with him. I think our two-big lineup helps us, and I think we have good chemistry. Yeah, he’s been doing a lot for us. When ‘Stix’ plays that way and he’s aggressive, it makes us a much better team.’’
It also gives the Bulls’ front office some options if executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas decides to pull the trigger on a deal. What if momentum for a deal sending Vucevic to the Warriors picks up again? What if a team makes a play for Collins and his expiring contract?
Smith has shown enough this season to be a bridge guy for the Bulls in either scenario.
‘‘At the end of the day, it’s about how I stand out with the four other guys I’m playing with,’’ Smith said. ‘‘It’s doing what it takes to stay out there.’’
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