In their first trade in over three calendar years, the longest streak leaguewide at the time, the Chicago Bulls sent 30-year-old defensive phenom Alex Caruso to the contention-ready Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for the 22-year-old developing asset Josh Giddey. This was the first of a mini re-tooling for Chicago’s roster and brought plenty of scrutiny from the fans. Giddey ultimately lost his place on the floor for the Thunder because of the awkward fit alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and rising star Jalen Williams. Only under contract through this season, there’s already been a red flag in a Bulls uniform, and he’s only been there for 16 games.
When Giddey first arrived, he and head coach Billy Donovan talked about how he would be the starting point guard and, if things went correctly, a long-time franchise cornerstone. The vision was a Coby White and Giddey backcourt, but through 16 games, Donovan is opting to go with a different pairing down the stretch. This is much like his fate in OKC, where he began to ride the bench as the fourth quarter progressed, primarily due to his lackluster defense, weak three-point shooting, and inability to play off-ball offense effectively. While his numbers are similar to those he posted with the Thunder, his field goal percentage has dropped dramatically, and his turnover rate has increased.
Ayo Dosunmu, who is not playing much better in any category besides defense, has been granted the closing-time minutes in favor of Giddey. Without an efficient off-ball offensive strategy and a consistently underperforming three-point shot, Giddey’s time on the floor is often wasted if he’s not the primary ball-handler. In clutch time, Donovan has much preferred to work through his All-Stars Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, prompting the decision for Giddey to be off the floor.
While the Giddey acquisition has not started as well as most would hope, it is a confident sign to see that he’s taking full responsibility for the slow start. Accountability has been hard to find in the Windy City lately across all sports, especially in the United Center. From watching LaVine deflect his shooting woes and turnover problems to watching Arturas Karnisovas defend only posting one playoff victory and zero second-round or further campaigns during his time here, Bulls fans are no stranger to finger-pointing. Giddey, on the other hand, has worn his struggles on his chest. While the preference is that he finds his stride and doesn’t have to defend his poor play, if he is going to start slow, at least he knows it.
Donovan has not been shy to play the influx of youth throughout the roster. His recurring theme throughout the season has been awarding those who play defense, shoot the deep ball efficiently, and are active in transition on both ends. Julian Philips and Dalen Terry are the two biggest benefactors of the new strategy.
Is this something that Giddey can earn over the course of the year as it develops into a potential new contract, or has Chicago seen enough to move on from their newest point guard?
