After an impressive showing in the Olympics, it does seem that Josh Giddey is ready to take on the mission to continue improving his game in the NBA as he is set to begin a fresh, new chapter in his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. The former Oklahoma City Thunder guard is coming off a promising run in the Olympic Games but has been the subject of ire for many critics in his previous season with the Thunder.

Oklahoma City became a promising team in the 2023-24 season, and it cannot be denied that Giddey has been quite a problem for the team amidst all of the shining pieces that have seen impressive strides. When the offseason came, the Thunder quickly pulled the string and traded Giddey for Alex Caruso, from the Chicago Bulls, hoping to bolster their roster moving forward.

This is a win-win trade so far. Caruso will be able to provide the Thunder with the reliable spot-up shooting that they need from their wingers. On the other hand, Giddey will have more touches on the ball – something that has changed well in his tenure with Oklahoma City and has affected his overall game.

Getting Ready for a Fresh Start

The Thunder didn’t trade Giddey simply because he struggled in the previous season. The Australian guard actually had prior talks with Thunder GM Sam Presti, insisting that he did not want to come off the bench in the coming season after he was set off the bench in the middle of the West Semis against the Dallas Mavericks – the first in almost more than 300 games in his career. Eventually, it led to the trade that sent Giddey to the Bulls.

"I just said to him at this point in my career, I'm 21 years old, it wasn't something that I was overly eager to do," Giddey said of the trade and how his talks with Presti led to it. "And he completely understood, and throughout the whole process we were open and honest with each other.... He got it. We worked together through the whole process, and he got me to a great spot."

Giddey, selected by the Thunder with the 6th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, averaged a meager 12.3 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.0 rebounds on 47.5% shooting last season. It was a season where he had to adjust from being an on-ball player who was usually setting the plays to being an off-ball player who was expected to take shots when open. Now he is getting back to a ball-dominant role in Chicago.

Shining With the Bulls

The Bulls have shuffled through many guards over the years since Lonzo Ball has been hampered by a lot of knee injuries and has not played since January 2022. Among the guards who took over the starting guard role for the Bulls were Goran Dragic, Jevon Carter, and even the team’s promising players such as Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White. Giddey enters the team as one of the best playmakers in the game, and he has certainly proved that in his run with Oklahoma City back then.

"Being able to make the game easy for everybody, being able to get guys involved, distribute the ball and get other players confident around me is the thing I pride myself on doing. And it's hard to do that in a role when the ball isn't in your hands a lot,” said Giddey. “That's probably the big thing coming in here. I want to be the pass-first point guard I am."