CHICAGO — Josh Giddey had a reason to smile again following the Chicago Bulls’ 116-111 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.
Giddey returned from a four-game absence and posted his second triple-double in a Bulls uniform, finishing with 23 points, a game-high 15 rebounds and a team-high 10 assists. In his first game since Dec. 16, Giddey crafted one of his most efficient performances of the season. He enjoyed 9-of-15 shooting, turned the ball over only twice and walked off the court with a game-high plus-18.
But there was more.
After avoiding what initially appeared to be a significant right foot injury, Giddey logged 29 minutes with no complications. (He joined Jimmy Butler and Tom Boerwinkle as the only players in franchise history to record a triple-double in under 30 minutes.) But none of Giddey’s 29 minutes on Saturday were more impactful than his final eight. In that window, he scored nine points — including the go-ahead 3-pointer — added six rebounds, three assists and one critical defensive stop down the stretch.
“He’s a pretty good player,” Bulls guard Zach LaVine said.
Giddey couldn’t have delivered a better reminder of his all-around abilities. Just last month, the 22-year-old was openly critical of himself following a difficult start in his debut season in Chicago. He challenged himself to “be a lot better.” He looked inward and was disappointed in what he discovered. Giddey vowed to play harder, defend better, rebound more and get teammates open shots. Bulls coach Billy Donovan began sitting Giddey in closing lineups until the latter made corrections.
And then, one late sequence on Saturday revealed how committed Giddey was to pulling himself off the canvas and proving he has a future on this Bulls roster.
With 1:11 remaining, Giddey nailed a no-hesitation corner 3 off a pass from Coby White. It gave the Bulls a 109-108 lead and showed Giddey can make a shot in a pressure-packed moment. Despite those many gifts, jump-shooting is one of his shortcomings.
JOSH GIDDEY IN THE CLUTCH. @CHSN__ | @JoshGiddey pic.twitter.com/gHkkX15pnx
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 29, 2024
On the ensuing Bulls defensive possession, Giddey guarded. In doing so, he demonstrated his progress in another area.
The fourth-year guard dug in and slowed a Khris Middleton drive with textbook man-to-man defense. First, he fought over a Brook Lopez screen before squaring his body to regain leverage after recovering, shuffled his feet to shut off Middleton’s airspace and forced Middleton to change directions twice. On Middleton’s second turn, Bulls forward Patrick Williams darted over to steal the ball from behind before streaking the other way for a layup that put the Bulls ahead by three.
Giddey smiled when asked which play he appreciated more: his go-ahead 3-pointer or his suffocating defense on Middleton.
“Definitely the defense,” Giddey said. “Taking more pride on that side of the ball is something I wanted to buy into probably 10, 12 games ago. I met with Billy, and we spoke about it in order to close games and be an impact. Even when offense isn’t going great, you’ve got to be locked in on that side of the ball. So, I really tried to hone in that side. It’s not going to be perfect. It won’t be for anybody, but I just made an emphasis to really be locked in on that side of the ball.”
Giddey said his turning point came following a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 15, a night in which the Cavs relentlessly targeted him and exposed his limitations more than any other game this season. In an 18-point loss, Giddey’s performance against Cleveland was worse than his box score suggested: five points, three rebounds, one assist, four fouls, 2-of-9 overall shooting and a 1-of-5 mark on 3-pointers in 15 minutes. Of course, staying in front of Cavs guard Darius Garland is more difficult than Middleton, but Saturday was a massive step in the right direction for Giddey.
“He’s not scared of any moment,” LaVine said. “I know that.”
Bulls reserve guard Ayo Dosunmu, who has earned closing minutes over Giddey, will miss at least 10 days with a right calf strain he sustained in the previous matchup against Milwaukee on Dec. 23. In his absence, the Bulls turned to Giddey’s length.
“The feeling on the bench was that you’ve got (Damian) Lillard shooting 3s, (Brook) Lopez shooting 3s and Middleton isolating,” Donovan said. “But they’re 2s, and Josh has got length. So, just trying not to foul him and trying to make him shoot over him was what we hoped for. I thought Josh really competed and battled defensively.”
Giddey said film study has helped him identify necessary improvements, but progress must be made between the lines at some point.
“There’s only so much film you can watch,” Giddey said. “It’s your will and your want to do it. And I flipped that switch, and I want to do it now. It’s something I’ve wanted to take pride in and put myself in those positions where I have to sit down and guard the ball. I’ve really tried to lock in on that side of the ball and make an emphasis of standing my ground and not being the weak link on that side of the ball. You get to a point in your NBA career where you are who you are, and I didn’t want to be that way on the defensive side.”
It starts with better effort.
“Some guys are naturally gifted on that side of the ball,” Giddey said. “Other guys, it requires a lot of effort. And I definitely fall into that category … The offense is going to be there. But it’s the other side of the ball, and that’s what I’m proud of. It wasn’t perfect, but my effort on that side of the ball was where it needed to be. And it needs to stay that way.”
(Top photos: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
