When it comes to the Chicago Bulls, a huge focus this year will be on Josh Giddey. For obvious reasons, he signed a four-year $100 million contract that makes him the guy they want to build around for the future.
The culminating point of a longstanding stalemate that plagued the summer. Then of course, there is the fact that Giddey had a solid second half to the 2024-2025 season. Overall, he accumulated five or more triple-doubles, achieved a career-high 37.8% three-point percentage, and developed into an effective playmaker and leader.
However, just like with most, the dollar amount doesn't tell the whole story. As the Bulls go through the preseason, there have been some promising signs based on Giddey's performance against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday.
During that game, he scored 25 points and was 8-for-8 from the foul line. Additionally, Giddey hit two three-pointers to start off the game. Those numbers alone got Bulls' fans excited, per Will Despart of Sports Illustrated. The Bulls will conclude the postseason against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday at the United Center.
However, it is worth noting that the Bulls lost 124-117 to the Nuggets and their defense played a huge factor in it, most notably Giddey.
Overall, he finished with a negative rating of 21.9 and a defensive rating of 123.9, which is not good by any measure. That in and of itself speaks to a much larger, long-term problem Giddey must prioritize: his defense.
Josh Giddey needs to get it together before it is too late
Throughout his career, Giddey has never been known as a defensive asset, let alone a threat. A major reason for that is his overall lack of consistency. He has these moments where has lapses and doesn't know how to react during a play.
That also includes moments where gets lost in the shuffle, doesn't anticipate screens, thus leading to back door cuts on his watch.
In fact, he admittedly said his poor defense led to the Bulls losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Cup Group Play last November. Also, he wasn't contributing offensively and played with an overall lack of confidence. As a result, Coach Billy Donovan pulled him from the game.
He also has difficulty guarding the perimeter, leading to drives to the basket. Plus, Giddey has a tendency to leap into the air on shot fakes.
Having said all that, Giddey does execute some positive attributes. For instance, he can guard multiple positions fairly well and is generally good on the defensive boards.
On Tuesday, Giddey grabbed nine defensive rebounds against the Nuggets. Nevertheless, he still has plenty of work to do.
To give credit where credit is do, Giddey has said before that he needs to work on his game on the other side of the floor. Part of that includes watching film and assessing the damage done as well as recognizing signs of growth.
Luckily, Giddey is now part of a system under Donovan where defense is the priority. That along with the presence of Tre Jones, Isaac Okoro, Patrick Williams, and Matas Buzelis provides the space to Giddey to feed off the strengths of these top defenders.
At the end of the day, if someone is being given $100 million over a four year stretch, then that someone has to be a complete player. At this point, Josh Giddey is not there yet.
