The latest Chicago Bulls news for Feb. 23, including more pleasant surprises from Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis learns from a Hall of Famer and a promising close to 2024-25 continues.
Josh Giddey: Bulls' best player?
It was another ho-hum season for Josh Giddey. The 22-year-old came to Chicago in a trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who had moved on from Giddey because of his poor individual defense and lack of any semblance of an outside shot. Those same issues followed him to The Windy City.
But over the last 32 days, Giddey has transformed into a vastly different player.
Since Jan. 20, he's averaging 16.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists; but that's not the shocking part. Giddey is shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three. Those numbers are way up from his career averages of 46.2 and 32.2, respectively.
Giddey led the Bulls in scoring with 24 points in a home loss to the Phoenix Suns last night. His 10 assists also led the team, while his eight rebounds trailed only centers Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins. He had another strong night from deep, burying three of his five triples.
The proverbial other shoe surely has to drop ... but it just isn't.
Matas Buzelis stays steady
The Bulls' 20-year-old rookie is having his own late-season surge. Buzelis is averaging 6.5 points and 2.9 rebounds during his rookie campaign, but in his last 10 games, those numbers jump to 13.3 points and 3.7 rebounds. He's shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from deep. He's also the team leader in blocks.
Buzelis had 13 points and was 3-of-4 from three during the first half against the Suns. He struggled in the second half and was pulled for stretches by head coach Billy Donovan, but he still had an efficient shooting night.
He also had some one-on-one matchups with Kevin Durant, and while those stretches didn't all go his way, it's another learning experience for a player who the Bulls hope will lead them in the future.
The losing streak continues
The loss to the Suns was Chicago's sixth straight defeat going back to the Zach LaVine trade. Veterans Vucevic and Coby White haven't been able to carry their young teammates, like Giddey and Buzelis, over the finish line.
That's only more good news.
The Bulls' loss, combined with the Brooklyn Nets' win over the Philadelphia 76ers, has Chicago just a half-game ahead of the Nets for 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings. The veteran-laded Sixers, who added Lonnie Walker IV to their roster last week, will be competing for that final spot in the East Play-In Tournament as well.
The Bulls are just 1.5 games back of sixth place in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery odds.