How Does Josh Giddey Fit On The Bulls? (Hint: He Needs The Ball)
Giddey isn’t a perfect fit, but there are ways to lean into his strengths as the Bulls unstable roster takes shape.
The Bulls are unquestionably one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. Josh Giddey is unquestionably one of the worst 3-point shooters in the NBA.
This — along with receiving no draft pick compensation whatsoever — makes Giddey being the centerpiece of the Bulls deal trading away fan-favorite and All-Defensive team mainstay Alex Caruso somewhat confusing.
But Giddey is just a 21-year old and has shown enough potential as a primary ball handler and playmaker to make sense IF it is assumed Coby White will slide over to his natural role of SG and Zach LaVine will be moved to open up shot opportunities for everyone on the “fresh start” Bulls.
With Giddey’s free agency on the horizon, Chicago has also overplayed their hand in not receiving any additional assets.
This signals that the Bulls clearly plan to re-sign Giddey to a long-term extension and they didn’t give themselves a ton of room to negotiate, losing most, if not all of their leverage in extension talks.
[Josh] Giddey…has shown enough potential as a…playmaker to make sense IF it is assumed Coby White will slide over to…SG and Zach LaVine will be moved to open up shot opportunities for everyone on the “fresh start” Bulls.
Offensively, Giddey has had some impressive stretches as a lead ballhander. His second year on the Oklahoma City Thunder he averaged 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists per game.
The problem for Giddey, was the rapid development of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams made him an odd fit on OKC’s ascendant roster.
In a playoff setting — and regular season for that matter — the best teams are comfortable leaving Giddey alone to fire away from 3-pt range. This clogs the lane for his teammates and can overall bog down an offense.
Giddey isn’t the quickest player in the world but he understands how to utilize his size. In Chicago, Giddey’s go-to scoring move should be getting his shoulder into the defenders chest and then executing a short range turnaround jumper.
This is a simple, yet effective move that allows Giddey to use his 6-foot-8 frame to get a clean shot off over most guards and even some wings.
He will also be able to look for this shot out of any guard-guard actions that head coach Billy Donovan runs to get Giddey and Coby White’s defenders switched depending on matchups.
He will likely never develop into a big-time scorer. But if Giddey can increase his aggression level getting into the paint he has a better chance at creating openings for himself and his new Bulls teammates.
To be a clean fit with Chicago’s current roster Giddey will need to have the ball in his hands pretty much the entirety of his time on the floor.
Though it would be nice for Coby White to receive more on-ball reps, the Bulls have effectively forced White back into his more natural off-ball role. While it may somewhat stunt White’s growth in that area, his shooting will afford Giddey room to operate with the ball.
For much of last season, despite Coby White getting better on-ball, some of his best offensive moments involved DeMar DeRozan with the ball in his hands and White spotting up on the perimeter.
There is no reason to think Donovan won’t run a similar configuration with the Giddey-White backcourt.
White shot a career-high seven 3-pt attempts per game last season and will probably need to increase that number playing next to Giddey in the backcourt.
Along with the poor 3-pt shooting comes the fact that Josh Giddey doesn’t really get to the free throw line. This is an area that the Bulls excelled at the past few seasons because of DeRozan. Things could swing the opposite way with Giddey leading the offense.
For his career, Giddey averages under two free throws per game. He isn't afraid of contact. It’s just that his steady diet of floaters and wide open 3-pt shots don't create a lot of situations for him to draw contact.
Last season Josh Giddey — per Basketball-Reference.com — took 28% of his shot in the 0–3 ft range and 33% of his FGAs in the 3–10 ft range. These figures would put him at the top of the list of Chicago’s guards last year in terms of frequency of operating in that area offensively.
Giddey needs to embrace drawing contact and getting in the paint even more. As Chicago focuses on adding young floor spacers like Jalen Smith (42% from 3 last season), it will be more important that Giddey focus on creating proper driving angles to the basket rather than trying too hard to fix a jumper that will always be his weakness.
The aforementioned budding post game of Giddey could be a great way to generate free throws for him moving forward, as he gets more comfortable backing down smaller guards in the paint.
Defensively, Giddey isn’t great. He lacks lateral quickness and doesn’t generate turnovers. But he has been a strong rebounder for the entirety of his career. The 6-foot-8 guard understands that snagging boards to end a defensive possession is likely his best contribution on that end.
While getting blown by on the perimeter will likely continue to be an issue, Giddey’s height and rebounding prowess finally gives Billy Donovan some much-needed lineup versatility.
The Bulls have players like Patrick Williams who are as tall as Giddey but weak as rebounders, and Giddey’s presence will help balance out a roster that will need plenty of rebounding help after losing Andre Drummond.
The Josh Giddey-Alex Caruso trade will likely be declared a massive victory for one side. Which side that is, only time will tell. But the Oklahoma City Thunder obviously won this trade as of now.
Alex Caruso is an All-Defensive Team stalwart, an unselfish player who will easily fit in as the Thunder chase their first NBA Championship. But if the now 21-year old Josh Giddey turns out to develop into an All-Star level playmaker one day in the future, perhaps the Chicago Bulls will finally get to have the last laugh.
