Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey is missing his 10th consecutive game with the club on Sunday. The 6-foot-7 guard has been shelved for three weeks with a hamstring strain, but is apparently making real progress.
Per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, the 23-year-old had a happily uneventful five-on-five team practice with the Bulls’ G League affiliate in Hoffman Estates, the Windy City Bulls. He has since been recalled and is back with Chicago proper. Johnson notes that the workout marked Giddey’s first such practice since incurring the ailment, and suggests that the Aussie could return to the floor at some point this week.
Chicago’s slate across the next week includes tilts against the LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Through 30 healthy bouts with the 19-22 Bulls so far, Giddey has been averaging 19.2 points on .466/.386/.761 shooting splits, 9.0 assists and 8.9 rebounds.
Sans Josh Giddey, the Bulls have gone 4-5. Starting shooting guard Coby White, suffering with calf tightness, sat out five of those contests and was on minutes restrictions in a few others. Backup center Zach Collins — Chicago’s best defender at the rim — is sitting out his 11th straight bout Sunday, and won’t be available until at least after the All-Star break.
© Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesLife Without Josh Giddey
Chicago is clearly missing Giddey’s handle, as he’s been the engine behind the Bulls’ pace-and-space system. His size, length, and downhill ability have propelled Chicago to some wins it had no business picking up. Maybe the team will outkick its coverage when he eventually returns.
Guard Tre Jones, second-year combo forward Matas Buzelis, and power forward/center Jalen Smith have been the primary beneficiaries of these injury absences.
Jones, who’s not normally a strong or frequent 3-point shooter, has been averaging a fairly efficient 13.0 points on a .573/.421/.920 slash line, 7.3 dimes (against just 1.4 turnovers), 2.9 boards, and 0.9 swipes per. The undersized Duke product, 25, may have strengthened his trade value. Chicago certainly doesn’t need to retain all four of its guards, who would need rotational minutes in Giddey, White, Jones, and Ayo Dosunmu.
Even when healthy, the Bulls have massive deficits in the frontcourt, and it may make more sense to allocate resources to figuring out the club’s depth there. Dosunmu, who like White is on an expiring salary, is a more complete player than Jones — although he doesn’t quite have Jones’ creation.
What should matter most to longtime Bulls head coach Billy Donovan, for however long Giddey sits, is prioritizing Buzelis’ development. The former No. 11 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has flashed appetizing upside for his hometown team, but lately Donovan has opted to prioritize short-term wins over letting Buzelis play through mistakes.
He sat out the entire fourth quarter of a 128-126 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday, before shouldering his normal minutes again during road defeat to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Still, Buzelis has been averaging 17.7 points on a .452/.311/.703 slash line, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 blocks during his games played without Giddey.
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