Josh Giddey has come to epitomize how thin the line is between superstardom and insufficiency in a ball-dominant role. For as brilliant as well-rounded proficiency as a scorer, playmaker, and shooter may look on paper, teams like the Chicago Bulls quickly learn how legitimate individual dominance is a key requirement of a successful heliocentric offense.
With this in mind, there are only two paths forward for Giddey if he can't truly dominate games: Improve as a defender and off-ball player or expect to be phased out in Chicago.
The Bulls may not be viewed as a contender, but they've greatly improved their starting lineup—on paper, at least. That starts with a forward pairing that has the tools to one day rank among the best in the NBA with Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson both possessing star potential.
Alongside them are All-Star shooting guard and elite sharpshooter Norman Powell and versatile defensive center Nic Claxton—players who offer clear value when they don't have the ball,
Giddey is thus the odd man out. He's a dynamic scorer and playmaker who averaged 17.0 points and 9.1 assists per game in 2025-26, as well as a vastly improved three-point shooter who buried 37.1 percent of his attempts between his first two seasons in Chicago after shooting 33.7 percent between his three years with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Bulls now boast a well-rounded starting lineup and two 21-and-under building blocks who should receive significant touches, however, which means Giddey must prove he can adapt.
Bulls don't need to run a heliocentric offense through Josh Giddey
Buzelis is a 21-year-old wing who's already producing impressive numbers at 16.3 points per game on .463/.349/.786 shooting. He needs to improve his three-point efficiency, but he's starting from an ideal place to do so having shot 35.3 percent through his first two NBA seasons.
Moreover, Buzelis is already an efficient slasher, shooting 52.3 percent on 6.7 drives per game. Chicago should thus make it a priority to get him more opportunities to attack the basket in 2026-27.
Wilson, meanwhile, is a 20-year-old rookie power forward who looks the part of a future force on the offensive end of the floor. He's an impressive athlete who uses his 6'10" frame well, has range on his jumper, is comfortable with his back to the basket, and even offers value on the offensive glass.
Giddey could conceivably create offense for Wilson, but he must also be able to work off of the first-year forward and not necessarily confine himself to being a creator or playmaker.
Bulls have built a starting 5 with offensive versatility
Along those same lines, Powell is an elite catch-and-shoot weapon, but he's also proven himself as an All-Star shot creator. He can easily simplify Giddey's life on offense, but the playmaker must also be willing to work without the ball to return the favor.
The problem is: Once Giddey accepts a less ball-dominant role on offense, his weaknesses will be harder to overlook.
Defensively, Giddey ranked in the 16th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 31st percentile in rim deterrence, per Basketball Index. Offensively, he ranked in the 20th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim. To put it simply: Giddey can't be a ball-dominant player because of the latter truth and will have trouble offering less on offense due to the former.
If Giddey is going to be a long-term fit in Chicago, he thus needs to address his flaws as a defender and accept that the roster no longer needs him to dominate the ball.
Add us as a preferred source on Google