Josh Giddey needed a feel-good moment, and it arrived with his first triple-double for the Chicago Bulls Monday night against the injury-plagued Brooklyn Nets.
Giddey scored 20 points and added 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the Bulls’ 128-102 blowout at United Center. It was Giddey’s 12th career triple-double, with the hope being there’ll be plenty more to come. At least, that was the vision when the Bulls acquired Giddey last summer in a trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Giddey was supposed to be the floor general the Bulls have long needed, the latest answer to the franchise’s elusive “point guard of the future.” Instead, the first quarter of the season hasn’t been kind to Giddey. He’s been healthy and has served as the Bulls’ starting point guard for all 22 games. Still, reserve Ayo Dosunmu is averaging more minutes, while Dosunmu and fellow reserve guard Lonzo Ball — who is only six games back after missing 2 1/2 seasons — have closed games over Giddey.
Giddey’s career-highs in assists and 3-point percentage have been offset by his noticeable defensive shortcomings and his career-low foul shooting. And then there’s Giddey’s tendency to take out his frustrations on game officials. He’s only been whistled for one technical foul, but he doesn’t hesitate to dish a tongue-lashing during the game just as fast as he does a dime.
“Up and down,” Giddey said when asked to assess his play. “But anytime you come into a new situation, it takes time to get adjusted. You can’t get too worried about bad games or too high on good games. I just try to stay even-keeled, just come in every day, do my work and find out ways to fit into this group as best I can.”
Messed around and got a triple-double ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ndUd4zVvPo
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 3, 2024
Bulls coach Billy Donovan has credited the unselfishness of the team’s crowded backcourt for creating room for Giddey’s arrival, as well as Ball’s return. Donovan has had to decide how to distribute minutes between Giddey, Ball, Dosunmu, Coby White and Zach LaVine. Between their comparable talents and their up-tempo offense, which leads the NBA in pace, the Bulls have built-in justifications for spreading minutes.
The team’s guards, however, have bought into doing what the coaches believe is best.
“What makes it easier for me is the way those guys have handled it,” Donovan said. “It’s never been, ‘Hey, I’m the point guard. The ball needs to be in my hands.’ They’ve all been willing to give up something for the betterment of each other. I think in a lot of ways, they’ve all, in some way, made each other better.”
Giddey’s traits, good and bad, jump out more each game. His vision, timing and, at times, precision as a passer have been a nice addition. He senses openings before they appear, and his savvy allows him to bait defenders with his dribble even though everyone knows he’s looking to dish.
Giddey, as expected, is similar to Ball as a facilitator. Donovan unleashed them at the same time against the Nets, revealing an intriguing combo that offers tremendous size, rebounding and playmaking from the backcourt. The duo logged 11 minutes together Monday after previously appearing together for only 13 minutes combined. It’s a look the Bulls aren’t likely to keep tucked in their back pocket.
Giddey’s defense must drastically improve before he can be viewed as a franchise pillar. Opposing teams are targeting him, and it took less than a dozen games before Donovan had no choice but to look to someone else for crunch-time minutes. But as a shooter, Giddey has been better than expected. Before going 1-of-10 over the previous two contests, Giddey had shot 37 percent from 3-point range on 3.6 attempts per game in his first 20 contests.
“Just taking good ones. That’s the one thing I’ve really focused on my last two years,” Giddey said. “Eliminating the bad 3s. If it’s catch and shoot and I’m open, if it’s in the flow of the offense, just let it go and live with the result. Just try not to get too caught up on misses and makes.
“You can’t let the miss or the make impact your next shot. That’s something I’ve really worked on.”
Another area of improvement for Giddey is shot creation. He’s adept at using his 6-foot-8 frame to barrel to the basket, often lowering his shoulder to initiate contact. But his limitations at creating a play off the dribble are most noticeable late in the shot clock. On several occasions with the shot clock winding down, Giddey has passed the ball like he’s playing a game of Hot Potato. Giddey insisted that he’s not avoiding the moment.
“If there’s 10 seconds on the clock, can we continue the action? If it’s three or four seconds, you’ve got to go and make something happen yourself,” Giddey said. “I mean, I understand who I am as a player and the type of guys I’m playing with. So, if there’s seven seconds on the clock, you know, Zach, Coby, I’m trying to get the ball to those guys. Because in terms of, ‘Go get yourself a bucket,’ those two are probably better, and their game is more suited to do that than mine is.”
Giddey just wants to be one of the guys and help the Bulls win.
“Anytime you get traded for a player like (Caruso), I mean, there was a lot of talk about it, whether it was a good trade or a bad trade,” Giddey said. “I don’t buy too much into that. I’m confident in myself and what I can do. These guys make it easy for me to play. I’m not trying to come in here and be anything more than myself. Find ways I can fit in and make this group better.”
Matas Buzelis’ assembles his best game
Each time glimpses of rookie forward Matas Buzelis’ promise emerge, they catch you by surprise.
It’s all because of how loud his performances are in those moments.
Buzelis crafted another impressive showing in the Bulls’ win over the Nets, finishing with a season-high 20 points with five rebounds, one assist and two blocked shots. Buzelis made 7 of 10 shots and made 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
“Obviously, it was the best game of my career right now,” he said, “but I just keep learning, keep striving, keep progressing. I think it’s just gotten better. Every time I play, I keep learning. I keep getting more comfortable on the court and more knowledge.”
Donovan was most impressed by how Buzelis bounced back after an unsatisfactory five-minute night against Boston last Friday. Donovan said Buzelis played with focus and “earned his minutes.”
“The internal stuff, the work ethic, the competitiveness, all that stuff I love,” Donovan said of Buzelis. “I think that’s going to be a huge driving force of him getting better. I think he’s got a really good mentality.”
Donovan said Buzelis has established himself as a solid catch-and-shoot player who can also handle the ball and attack the basket. With his athleticism, Buzelis can also be a terror in transition. Buzelis, however, must develop to continue putting up big scoring nights.
“He’s got to find an offensive game,” Donovan said. “There’s things that he’s accustomed to doing, just habitually over years, that he’s been able to get away with that he can’t get away with here. It’s not so much that he’s got to change his game, it’s just different things that he’s got to do, in particular on drives to the basket.”
Look for Donovan to keep feeding Buzelis opportunities. With the way Buzelis is playing, the rookie truly is earning them.
“I’m fine with mistakes. Young players are always going to make mistakes. I get that,” Donovan said. “But there’s got to be also some responsibility there from them to the team. I think everybody understands that for someone like Matas who’s (20) years old, he’s going to make mistakes. But as long as he’s playing hard and he’s competing and he’s really getting after it, you’re going to live with some of that stuff. I look at it that way in the game.”
Patrick Williams nearing a return, Coby White setback not severe
Injured forward Patrick Williams is expected to rejoin the Bulls’ lineup any day.
After missing seven straight games with left foot inflammation, Williams ramped up his activity this week.
“He’s feeling really good,” Donovan said Monday. “A lot of it’s running and jumping and doing some of those things, and they’ll keep adding on. He did parts of shootaround (Monday), just more or less the shooting part of it. So, he is doing some of that. But they have started the ramp-up for him.”
In other injury news, White is not expected to miss extended time after a sprained ankle sidelined him Monday.
”We don’t feel like it’s anything too severe that’s going to keep him out very long,” Donovan said.
LaVine becomes franchise all-time 3-point leader
LaVine moved past Kirk Hinrich as the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made during last Friday’s home loss against Boston. LaVine has now made 1,054 3-pointers with the Bulls. He couldn’t help but to note that the record would have come sooner had a foot injury not limited him to 25 contests last season.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” LaVine said. “It’s a long time coming. I think I could have had it a while ago last year, but it got put on a halt. But, it’s good, man. Whenever you keep climbing up the ladder in certain things, it’s a tribute to your hard work.”
The last word …
“I think he’s been fine because he’s smart; he’s got good positioning, and he’s physical” — Donovan on Ball’s defense
(Top photo of Josh Giddey: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
