Josh Giddey
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Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls has been out of the last nine games due to injury.
The Chicago Bulls have been without Josh Giddey since he suffered a hamstring injury on December 29 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Giddey has taken another major step in his recovery and could be returning soon.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan shared an update on Giddey in his media availability on Wednesday before their game against the Utah Jazz.
“This is going to be a big week for him… I’m a little hesitant to say that will happen because I don’t think they’ve really stretched him out to sit there and say. But the plan is, if everything goes well over the course of the week, he should be back relatively soon after that. That will be the biggest thing,” Donovan said, via The Chicago Sun-Times.
The Bulls remain cautious with Giddey’s recovery because it’s a soft tissue injury, which has been very common in the NBA this season. If he doesn’t experience any soreness or tightness in his left hamstring, he’s expected to return next week.
Giddey Making Huge Progress
CHGO Sports’ Will Gottlieb reported on Monday that Josh Giddey was finally cleared to participate in practice. However, Giddey only began non-contact workouts on the court, so he wasn’t ready to ramp up his recovery process.
Two days later, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network revealed that Giddey has made tremendous progress. He’s already sprinting and cutting, so there’s a huge chance for him to get cleared for his contract practice later this week.
In his absence, the Bulls have managed to stay afloat in their last eight games. They are 4-4 since Giddey went down with an injury, with Tre Jones and Coby White picking up the slack.
Before his injury, the Aussie guard had been having the best season of his career. He was putting up 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game, while shooting 46.6% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range and 76.1% from the free-throw line.
There was even chatter about Giddey possibly being named an All-Star this season. The Bulls are 19-21 entering Friday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets. They are 10th in the East standings, but the conference also lacks star power in the guard position.
Bulls Analyst Says Giddey Found His Home
Following Josh Giddey’s hamstring injury, Chicago Bulls analyst Sam Smith answered some fan questions in his recent mailbag. One fan compared Giddey to Nikola Jokic, but Smith didn’t go that far.
However, Smith did like that Giddey has found his home in Chicago, and the Bulls have embraced him as their point guard for many years.
“I think it’s clear Giddey has found a home, and no matter what the Bulls do, they have point guard covered, which they believed they did with Lonzo Ball. So that’s a pretty impressive recovery, even if it took a few painful seasons. Josh is a smart guy, but what’s impressed me with him is the competitiveness and ability to adjust and realign. He’s probably had to try to be more of a scorer than he naturally is,” Smith wrote.
The Bulls signed Giddey to a four-year, $100 million contract in the offseason. It will likely become a bargain if he turns into a perennial All-Star for the franchise.