Josh Giddey
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Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls is currently out with a hamstring injury.
The Chicago Bulls have been without Josh Giddey since December 30, when he was diagnosed with a hamstring injury. Giddey recently took a huge step in his recovery before his scheduled re-evaluation.
According to CHGO Sports’ Will Gottlieb, Giddey was in practice on Monday ahead of the Bulls’ game against the Houston Rockets. He was a non-contact participant, so he’s likely not yet ready to make his return.
ESPN’s Jamal Collier reported on New Year’s Eve that the Bulls have set Giddey to be re-evaluated after two weeks. He possibly needs to get cleared for contact first before full participation in a 3-on-3 and a 5-on-5 in practice.
The Australian guard suffered the injury on December 29 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was trying to beat a press to start the third quarter when he suddenly grabbed his left hamstring. He was diagnosed with a strained hamstring and was slated to be out for a “few weeks.”
Gottlieb also reported that Coby White was part of Bulls’ practice, while Julian Phillips was held out because of a wrist injury. Despite his participation, White has already been ruled out of the Rockets as part of his injury management.
Giddey Tried To Get Back After Injury
Speaking to reporters a few days after the injury happened, Josh Giddey opened up about his thoughts on his strained hamstring.
Giddey tried to get back into the game after trying to warm up his leg, but the Chicago Bulls’ medical team decided against it.
“This is my first ever soft tissue kind of injury, so I didn’t really know. That’s why I didn’t know the severity of what happened. I was thinking about keeping playing, but, you know, soft tissue stuff, as I said, you want to be careful with it. You don’t want this stuff to linger. You want to kind of hit it on the head as soon as it pops up, and that’s what we’ve done,” Giddey said, via Peter Brown of basketball.com.au.
It was a tough night for the Bulls because Coby White had already suffered a calf injury in the first half. Soft tissue injuries have become pretty common in the NBA this season, so more and more teams are being cautious.
Giddey’s All-Star Chances Took a Hit
Before his injury, Josh Giddey was having the best season of his career. He was averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists, while shooting 46.6% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range and 76.1% from the free-throw line.
The Chicago Bulls got off to a hot start to the season, but they quickly cooled off and are now fringe contenders for the NBA Play-In Tournament spots. The Bulls are currently sitting 10th in the East standings at 18-24. They are just four games behind for a Top 6 spot.
There was also a lot of All-Star talk for Giddey before his injury happened, as per the Chicago Sun-Times. He might have a shot since the number of East guards is limited. He could sneak in behind Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Maxey. It could depend on Jaylen Brown being considered as a guard or a forward.