The Chicago Bulls were 22-33 entering the All-Star break last year, coming off a blockbuster deal where they dealt Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal. However, for some reason, losing one of their best players ended up being exactly what Chicago needed heading into the second half of the season.
The Bulls finished the regular season with a 39-43 record, going 17-10 in their final 27 games. A major reason for that was the elevated play of players like Josh Giddey and Coby White, who looked like an All-Star-level backcourt alongside one another. Speaking with ESPN, Giddey revealed what led to the change in play.
“I think a lot of it comes with confidence, and I got that probably around the trade deadline,” Giddey told ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.
“With Zach [LaVine] being traded… not to say Zach was hindering anybody… [but] he was such a big part of what we did, [so] it opened up an avenue for me to step into a bigger role when he was traded. I tried to take that with both hands,” Giddey shared.
Looking at the first few games after LaVine’s departure, Giddey was still playing at the same level he was prior to the deal. It wasn’t till after the All-Star break, specifically their February 20th contest against the New York Knicks, that Giddey started to look like a different player, posting 27 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.
In just 10 games after the All-Star break, Giddey was averaging 23.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, but more strong performances would follow. Arguably, his best game came against the Los Angeles Lakers in LA, posting 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds, and eight steals in an upset victory. Just five days later, he’d hit a half-court game-winner at home vs the Lakers in the rematch.
However, Giddey didn’t just take credit for himself, making sure to acknowledge that his teammates helped in the process.
“And it wasn’t all about me. My teammates, they did an awesome job of helping me out, coaches put me in positions to be successful. Not all of it was me; I was very fortunate to have great teammates that made that success that I and we had possible,” he added.
Now, with teammates like Matas Buzelis and White only growing more chemistry and improving individually, Giddey could very well replicate similar production across a full 82-game season. If so, he might have a chance at earning an All-Star bid come February.
