When the offseason started for the Chicago Bulls, the front office made it clear that they were going to make changes. Bulls fans have been vocal about their dissatisfaction with how the team has performed in recent years, and the team knew that change was needed. One of the changes made was trading Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey. Giddey is another young player that should fit in well with the current core of young talent, but he recently revealed an injury that he suffered during the Olympics.
Josh Giddey participated in the Olympics this summer with the Australia national team, and he suffered an ankle injury during that time. It has made things a little bit difficult for him, but he should be good to go when the Bulls start their season in a few weeks.
“I ruptured my ATFL,” Giddey said at Bulls media day, according to an article from Sporting News. “We thought it was just a regular ankle [sprain] at the time, but flew back to Melbourne, got scans, and they kind of confirmed that. It’s getting better, it’s getting to the point where I’m almost back out there.”
Giddey has been easing back into things because of the injury, which is definitely the smart thing to do. There is a lot of time between the Olympics and the regular season, so there's no need to rush anything. He should be fine for opening night, which is on October 23rd.
“We’re taking it slow,” Giddey said. “This is not something you want to rush because we got time on our side at this point in the offseason. We’re just making sure it’s 100 percent before we get back to playing. Everything has been great. Rehab has been going well, and I’m looking forward to getting out there with the guys. …Opening day? Yeah, yeah. I’ll be fine by then.”
The new-look Bulls want to play fast
Josh Giddey also talked about what kind of style the Bulls would play with this season and he gave some insight into what this new team would look like. The Bulls want to play fast.
“We want to play uptempo and get moving,” Giddey said. “When we can get out in transition and generate early looks, whether it's layups, open threes, analytically, they're the best percentage shots you're going to get and we've got a lot of guys that can play the way that we want to.”
Giddey even noted that the Bulls have been playing with a shortened shot clock to help with the pace.
“We started playing scrimmages with 14-second shot clocks to emphasise the pace we want to play,” Giddey added. “Once it becomes a habit, this team's going to be pretty scary in the open court.”
Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas also spoke at Bulls media day, and he also emphasized this fast pace of play for the team.
“Earlier this offseason we told you we were committed to making changes both on and off the court, and we have,” Arturas Karnisovas said. “The results last season were unsatisfactory but they presented us with the opportunity to learn, pivot and take steps to adjust our team… this is the start of reshaping our roster, strategy and how we move forward… we’re excited about the players returning and bringing in new ones to the fold… our emphasis is on playing a fast paced, tough and energetic style.”
The new-look Bulls could end up being a fun watch, and hopefully Giddey can stay healthy for the whole season.
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