Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
The Chicago Bulls introduced Josh Giddy in a virtual news conference on Tuesday. And while the Australian said he has not yet discussed his role with the Chicago Bulls, appoint him as the starting point guard.
The Bulls targeted Giddy just as the Oklahoma City Thunder were eyeing Alex Caruso in a one-for-one trade finalized on Friday. League sources indicated that both the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings offered draft capital to the Bulls in packages they felt were better than a one-for-one deal. The Athletic previously reported the Kings’ offer included 13th The overall pick in this week’s NBA Draft.
“We haven’t talked about the roles yet. I’ve met with (Coach) Billy (Donovan) a few times already and he’s been incredible in our conversations. But I think the team that we have here has a lot of good guards,” Giddy said. “Ayo (Dosunmu), Coby (White), Delon (Terry), they have a lot of guys that can handle the rock. I think this will create good competition in training camp, push each other and make each other better. We’ll see what happens when the season comes.”
Perhaps it’s just an innocent mistake that Giddy didn’t mention Zach LaVine or Lonzo Ball in his comments. In his defence, it is not his job to take on the general manager role and, after flying in from Australia on Sunday, the 21-year-old has had his world rocked as he meets his new organisation.
In fact, Giddy ignored the question about whether the Bulls have hinted to him that more moves are coming following their acquisition that could indicate a youth movement and potential changes depending on how drastic the changes become. But can be either rebuilt or retooled.
“I didn’t ask,” said Giddy. “I’m just focused on getting here, getting acclimated to the new environment. I haven’t asked any questions in terms of where the franchise is going. I’ve kind of accepted that whatever happens here, happens. “I will do my part to help my team become better from the beginning.”
When Giddy was asked how he envisions his role, it certainly sounded like a point guard.
“My job is just to make the game easier for everyone else. Come in and make sure guys are getting easy looks, guys are comfortable on the floor,” he said. “When you’re a point guard and you can get other guys around you into the game and make them feel good early, it opens up the game to everybody. “That’s how I see myself, which makes basketball easier for my teammates around me.”
Giddy seemed comfortable and friendly and grateful for his new opportunity. He praised Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti several times during his nearly 17-minute media session — and for reasons beyond the fact that Presti said Giddy has All-Star potential.
“I have had a great relationship with Sam throughout my time at Oklahoma. One thing I really respect about him is his transparency. He has been very open and honest with the players and especially with me throughout this process,” Giddy said. “Obviously, I went through a tough year. My role changed a bit. I was playing a lot more off ball and playing a different role than I have done in my career. So there was no secret that I needed some flexibility on my part to fit into the team that we had and the structure that we had and the type of players that we had. And he talked to me about potentially looking at different roles, coming off the bench, running the second unit. And I told them at this stage of my career, I’m 21, this wasn’t something I was too eager to do. And he understood completely.
“We were open and honest with each other. And we worked together throughout the process. He took me to a wonderful place. I’m so excited to be here in Chicago and all the first impressions have been incredible. The people have been great. And I feel very welcome here.”
Giddy showed strong self-reflection and accountability when asked about his diminished role during the Thunder’s second-round series loss to the eventual Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks. While Giddy’s role changed substantially over the course of the season, the Thunder unexpectedly claimed the conference’s No. 1 seed as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as the Most Valuable Candidate and Chet Holmgren showcased his unique skills, leading the Mavericks. Targeted Giddy on the defensive end and released. He’s wide open as a shooter.
“It was tough. As a player, first of all you want to get to the NBA. And then when you’re in the NBA, you want to be a part of big games in the playoffs. I dreamed of that moment for a very long time.” The way it ended left a sour taste in my mouth. It showed me there were a lot of things I had to work on in those moments,” Giddy said. Big thing. But I just realized that to be at the highest level, you have to be able to really compete on the defensive end. That’s one side of the ball that I really love. I want to take pride and step forward and make sure that when playoff time comes, I’m ready to go on both sides of the ball.
Giddy’s stormy offseason will continue with his role in the Australian national team. He praised the talent on the roster, also saying that he planned to watch film of last season’s Bulls games.
“The way I looked at my season was different. It was screening, playing in the dunker, getting ready to catch and shoot. As I said before, this was not a negative look on me. It was because our team was so good and had so many players who could handle the ball and do different things. So I had to adjust. And I think I did,” said Giddy. “And when you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to see the light. But looking back now, it probably taught me a lot of the lessons I needed for a young player in his career.
“I thank Sam for those (All-Star) comments. I appreciate a lot about him, great guy. In that regard, it will be difficult to exploit my potential in such a team. There were a lot of talented guys who needed the ball in their hands, who were great with the ball in their hands. The change of scenery was probably more unlocking for me. Coming here, I want to be the pass-first point guard that I am.”
Click here to follow the Bulls Talk Podcast.
Discover more from news2source
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
