Josh Giddey: Emerging as the Bulls’ Best?
Josh Giddey’s season seemed unremarkable at first. Acquired in a trade that sent Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City, he arrived with concerns about his defense and inconsistent shooting. However, over the past 32 days, he has made significant strides.
Since Jan. 20, Giddey has been averaging 16.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. The real surprise? His efficiency—shooting 49.7% from the field and 44.8% from three, a sharp improvement from his career averages of 46.2% and 32.2%.
In last night’s home loss to the Phoenix Suns, Giddey led Chicago with 24 points, also dishing out 10 assists and grabbing eight rebounds—second only to Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins. His three-point shooting remained strong, knocking down three of five attempts.
If a regression is expected, it hasn’t arrived yet.
Matas Buzelis Maintains Momentum
The Bulls’ 20-year-old rookie is also making strides late in the season. While his season averages sit at 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds, his last 10 games have been more impressive—averaging 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 55.6% shooting from the field, and 39.1% from three. He also leads the team in blocks.
Buzelis put up 13 points and hit three of four three-pointers in the first half against the Suns. Though he struggled in the second half and was benched at times by head coach Billy Donovan, his overall efficiency remained solid.
He also faced off against Kevin Durant in one-on-one situations. While he didn’t always come out on top, it was another valuable experience for a player Chicago hopes will be a key part of their future.
Losing Streak Grows
The loss to Phoenix marked the Bulls’ sixth consecutive defeat since trading Zach LaVine. Veterans Nikola Vucevic and Coby White have struggled to lift their younger teammates like Giddey and Buzelis over the hump.
And yet, that’s not necessarily bad news.
With the Brooklyn Nets defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago is now just half a game ahead of Brooklyn for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sixers, who recently added Lonnie Walker IV, are also in the race for the final East Play-In Tournament spot.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are just 1.5 games away from securing the sixth-best odds in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.
