NEWSLETTER
An offseason of change is off to a complicated start for the Chicago Bulls.
The organization traded two-time All-Defensive Team member Alex Caruso for OKC youngster Josh Giddey on Thursday. The surprising one-for-one player swap hasn’t come without its criticism, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
Let’s put the trade itself aside and take a closer look at the player Chicago added.
Josh Giddey Stats
| MIN | PTS | AST | REB | FG% | 3P% | FTA | STL | BLK | |
| 2021-22 | 31.5 | 12.5 | 6.4 | 7.8 | 41.9% | 26.3% | 1.5 | 0.9 | 0.4 |
| 2022-23 | 31.1 | 16.6 | 6.2 | 7.9 | 48.2% | 32.5% | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| 2023-24 | 25.5 | 12.3 | 4.8 | 6.4 | 47.5% | 33.7% | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
Obviously, Josh Giddey’s best season as a pro came in his sophomore campaign. The fact he posted nearly a 17/8/6 stat line at 20 years old is pretty darn impressive, especially considering OKC was a 40-win team. In other words, this young group was trying to win basketball games, and Giddey was a part of that.
I’m also pleased to see that his efficiency took a step in the right direction after his freshman campaign. He started to show a little more assertiveness in using his size and score over his smaller defenders in the paint. Speaking of that size, it’ll be nice for the Bulls to have someone who is just an active rebounder. The former No. 6 overall pick has consistently made an impact in that department, and he’s averaged nearly 2.0 OREBs per game over his career.
The bad news is that Giddey has only averaged 3.3 shot attempts from downtown per game over his career. He’s also shot just 31.0 percent on those attempts. A deeper look into the advanced analytics also shows how inefficient Giddey’s game remains. His 52.3 effective field goal percentage this past year only ranked in the 36th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
The on-off stats are pretty darn ugly, too. He’s finished as a net negative the past two years on a talented Thunder team. During his strongest statistical season in 2022-23, he still carried a shocking -8.2 efficiency differential, per Cleaning the Glass. This year with a more limited role, Josh Giddey finished with a -1.7.
Main Pros & Cons of His Game
Pros
Josh Giddey was the No. 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft by a very smart organization for a reason. He is a six-foot-eight jumbo guard (some might call him a forward, but is he really?) with excellent floor vision. For a Chicago Bulls team that lacked a primary facilitator, Giddey offers them a legitimately intriguing building block.
He’s a crafty ball-handler who can set his roll men up nicely, hit cutters with a beautiful bounce pass, and spray out to open shooters. For an offense that has lacked a lot of direction in recent years, there is a world where Giddey helps the Bulls play to the more uptempo, free-flowing identity they’ve wanted. OKC took the ball out of his hands, but the Bulls can allow him to run more of the show. This could lead to some really good things.
We also have to harp on the size. As mentioned above, he can be a mismatch at times and does a great job consistently snatching rebounds. The Bulls have desperately needed more length over the last couple of years, especially with Lonzo Ball on the sideline. Giddey gives them that. He also gives them someone who can maneuver his way to the rim.
While he isn’t a versatile scorer, Josh Giddey uses his size to finish over smaller defenders in the paint. He’s got a decent floater and a strong frame that can help him shake off opponents, too. Could he be more aggressive at times considering his build? Absolutely. But he still does a decent job creating shots for himself inside the free-throw line.
Cons
Offensively, Josh Giddey is practically a non-threat to score along the perimeter. Things got so bad in the playoffs that opponents would leave him wide open and OKC had to bench him. The 3-point shot has just never come into form, and it’s a huge problem when we consider his potential ceiling. The Bulls targeting a player who can’t shoot? Who woulda thunk it!?
While Giddey has an excellent frame, he isn’t the most gifted athlete. Thanks to the lack of a 3-point stroke, defenses know to pack the paint and take away his preferred area to score. Not to mention, this only further limits his playmaking potential. In an ideal world, Giddey is drawing the defense out and has a more spaced-out court to find his teammates. The Bulls hired shooting coach Peter Patton to lead their player development department last offseason, and he now has his greatest challenge yet.
Then, there is Giddey’s defense. If the Bulls were viewing him as a Lonzo Ball replacement, they failed to consider that the Australian native has really struggled on this end of the floor. Theoretically, he should be a switchable tool and someone who disrupts passing lanes with his length. But that’s just never happened. He’s very slow-moving at times on that end of the floor and teams will try to attack him. Can Billy Donovan get him to ramp up the intensity and see the floor differently? I guess we’ll find out.
Contract Situation
This is another reason why the criticism is loud. The Bulls traded one player who was due for a contract extension for another. Josh Giddey just finished his third year as a pro, which means he’s one of the candidates up for a rookie scale extension. We saw this situation play out with Patrick Williams, who the Bulls couldn’t extend last summer and are now staring at restricted free agency.
Are the Bulls ready to reach a new deal with Giddey right away in his down year? And before ever seeing him on THEIR court? If not, are they ready for another restricted free agency situation next summer? Technically, there is a world right now where they traded Alex Caruso for one year of Giddey, which would be a true and utter disaster.
Giddey is owed $8.4 million this season.
