CHICAGO (670 The Score) – With his restricted free agency looming this summer, Bulls guard Josh Giddey is elevating his game at an opportune time for himself.
In a 122-117 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday at the United Center, the 22-year-old Giddey had 21 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists on 8-of-14 shooting to continue a strong stretch of play. Most notably, Giddey went 4-of-4 from 3-point range one game after he was 3-of-3 from deep.
In the past four games out of the All-Star break, Giddey is averaging 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists while shooting 57.9% overall. He’s a scorching 14-of-18 (77.8%) from 3-point range in that stretch and is shooting 56.0% from deep in 10 games in February.
“It feels good,” Giddey said. “Any player, it feels good when the ball is going through the rim and you get confidence from it, but it’s about how you respond when it’s the opposite, when you’re not making shots. How can you continue to impact the game? Obviously, they’re going in now, but there will be a point where they don’t all go in. And I got to figure out other ways to be impactful and help our team try to win games.
“They’re going in. It’s not always going to be like that. There’s going to be games where I don’t make a three. There’s going to be games where I do make threes. So I’m not going to get worried about previous results.
Each game is its own. Whether I go 0-for-10 or 10-for-10, get in the gym the next day and keep getting reps up and keep trying to get better at it.”
Giddey’s role with the Bulls has grown since the team agreed to trade star guard Zach LaVine to the Kings on the evening of Feb. 2. Whether as a lead initiator or as a shooter, Giddey has found himself at the center of the Bulls’ offense more often since LaVine exited, which is certainly no surprise when someone averaging 24.0 points per game leaves town.
“He’s been on a helluva run lately,” Bulls center Zach Collins said of Giddey. “We’re all beneficiaries of that for sure. He’s drawing a lot attention the way he puts pressure on the rim, the way he’s shooting the ball right now. We just have to be ready to convert when he sees us in the pick-and-roll or the weak-side. He’s a phenomenal passer and has a very high basketball IQ, so he’s an easy guy to play with.”
Giddey downplayed the notion that he has filled LaVine's shoes in any way, but he did acknowledge it has given him more opportunity.
“With a guy like that who you’re going to try to get the ball to obviously, it will naturally open up opportunities for other guys,” Giddey said of what has changed since the LaVine trade. “Obviously, what Zach did here for however long he was here was great and he’s a helluva player. But I think with the gravity that he has and when he gets the ball, him leaving obviously leaves a big gap. And that’s filled by the team. It’s not filled by one guy. So I think collectively we’ve done a good job of picking up when he left, what he’s left. It hasn’t been me. It’s been everybody who has stepped up into that role. So as I said, opportunity is going to present itself for everybody and guys got to be ready when their name is called.”
Giddey’s recent uptick in production has come after a rocky start to his first season in Chicago. He struggled with his shot in November and December, and his defensive weakness was laid bare for all to see as he was relentlessly attacked in several games early in the season. Giddey is averaging 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 55 games while shooting 45.9% overall and 38.1% on 3-pointers.
The question now is what he’ll command in restricted free agency, where the Bulls will have matching rights. The Bulls front office views Giddey as a vital piece, having traded defensive ace Alex Caruso for him last June in a one-for-one deal.
“Right now, I’m just focused on game by game and how this team can keep getting better,” Giddey said as the Bulls dropped to 23-36 but continued to sit in 10th in the East. “As I said, it’s such an easy group to be around, play with. We’re all kind of figuring each other out still, and it’s not going to be perfect. It’s going to take time. There’s moving parts obviously and new guys coming in, guys leaving. It’s a matter of continuing to build chemistry. We’re right there right now in the play-in spot.”
Cody Westerlund is an editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.