Jalen Smith Cleared for Monday: The Bulls' Per-Minute Monster Returns

The NBA injury report is basically a daily hostage negotiation, but we finally have a peaceful resolution in Chicago. Jalen Smith has officially been cleared to play Monday after nursing a finger injury.

A finger injury sounds like the kind of thing that ruins your week in a rec league, but at the professional level, it is enough to send fantasy managers and prop bettors into a full-blown panic.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Jalen Smith (finger) listed available to play Monday.'"

Smith is back in the mix for the Chicago Bulls, bringing his highly efficient 17.7 minutes per night back to the rotation. He has been quietly productive when healthy, averaging 9.0 points and 6.3 rebounds.

For context, grabbing over six boards in under 18 minutes is the kind of per-minute production that makes analytics nerds weep with joy. It also makes him a massive swing piece for anyone trying to figure out the Bulls' frontcourt rotation on a random Monday night.

He recently dropped 16 points in his return from a separate calf issue, proving he does not need a long runway to get back up to speed. The man just steps on the floor and immediately starts doing work.

With Smith officially active, expect the betting lines around Chicago's secondary scorers and rebounders to tighten up. He eats up enough usage off the bench to ruin a perfectly good over ticket on the rest of the frontcourt.

The Bulls need every healthy body they can get to keep their rotation afloat. Smith will slot right back into his usual role, giving Chicago some much-needed muscle and giving the rest of us one less injury tag to stress over before tipoff.