The Chicago Bulls have been playing improved basketball as of late, thanks in no small part to the contributions of Josh Giddey, who has turned himself into one of the elite facilitators in the NBA over the last few months. That trend continued on Saturday evening with a road win over the Los Angeles Lakers, a game in which Giddey recorded a triple double to go along with a pair of 30-point performances from teammates Matas Buzelis and Coby White.
Giddey was acquired by the Bulls this past offseason in a trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Recently, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times broke down how the Bulls didn't always envision Giddey reaching the levels where he currently is.
“The Bulls would deny it now, but many in the Advocate Center were down on Giddey the first few months of the season,” reported Cowley on X, formerly Twitter. “Credit the work he's put in, but also the way Billy Donovan has coached him on both sides of the ball. Masterful work by Donovan to save AK's ‘big trade.'”
A resurgence from Josh Giddey
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) looks to pass against Los Angeles Lakers guard Gabe Vincent (7) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena.
Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
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It became clear during their playoff loss to the Dallas Mavericks last year that Josh Giddey was not going to be a part of the long-term plans for the Thunder, and in theory, it made sense for a rebuilding team like the Bulls to take a chance on the former lottery pick.
After a rough start to the season, Giddey is now delivering on that potential, showcasing his unique skillset as one of the league's best passers at 6'8″ and fitting right into the positionless basketball archetype that NBA teams are currently seeking out.
Giddey has also shown much more willingness to look for his own shot of late, which has made him much more difficult for opposing defenses to contain and has helped contribute to the Bulls' winning ways as of late.
Giddey and the Bulls will next take the floor on Monday evening on the road vs the Denver Nuggets.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Jackson Stone is a sports journalist for ClutchPoints with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, and CAA Football. The Mercer University senior from Atlanta is on track to graduate with a BA in communications, and he has bylines at FanSided and USA Today Sports' Georgia athletics website.