The Chicago have added one player to the injury report ahead of their Wednesday night matchup with the New York Knicks.

Tiago Splitter said after Tuesday's practice that Tobe Awaka sustained an ankle injury. The head coach considered the big man day-to-day and did not provide a specific designation for the team's upcoming game. However, in the hours leading up to tip-off, the Bulls have officially added Awaka to the injury report as questionable with an ankle sprain.

Of course, it's possible that Splitter would have made it through Wednesday's game without playing Awaka. Currently a two-way contract player, we typically wouldn't even provide a full injury update, regardless of his status. However, we all know this season is different, and Awaka has already appeared in two games this year.

Indeed, Splitter has not hesitated to throw his two-way players into games thus far. Awaka, Jaylin Sellers, and Jordan Hawkins have all seen playing time through the first four games. Awaka, in particular, is in a decent position to hear his name called. The Bulls remain down Nic Claxton, meaning Awaka is essentially serving as the team's third center.

It's also no secret that the Bulls have struggled heavily to begin the year. The blowout nature of these games has encouraged Splitter to go deeper into his bench. There is no question this could happen again tonight with the reigning Champs in town. The New York Knicks are also a Top 6 rebounding team to begin the year and have averaged 20.8 second-chance points a night. Awaka's whole thing is cleaning the glass, which could make him particularly useful in a game like this.

Meanwhile, Patrick Williams has been upgraded to questionable after dealing with an adductor strain. It's worth noting, however, that Splitter has yet to play the forward even when healthy this season. Williams is very clearly out of the rotation and not a part of this team's current plans. Could that change with injury trouble or defensive needs? It's possible, but Williams clearly has a lot of work to do to earn this coaching staff's trust.

Lastly, Nic Claxton is finally trending up. While Bulls fans may not see him for another handful of games, the expectation is that he can rejoin practices next week. He was able to do some individual work early this week during the team's trip to Boston.

Chicago Bulls Injury Report

Patrick Williams – QUESTIONABLE (adductor)
Tobe Awaka – QUESTIONABLE (ankle)
Nic Claxton – OUT (hamstring)

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