The latest Chicago Bulls news for Jan. 23, including Josh Giddey's explosive return from injury, a new set of tantalizing lineup options for Billy Donovan and another rumored Coby White trade destination to add to the list.
Josh Giddey resets expectations for Bulls
In a wildly unsurprising turn of events, Chicago is rumbling toward the trade deadline as an average basketball team. After a Jan. 22 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Bulls sit exactly at .500 with a record of 22-22.
But Josh Giddey's return from an 11-game absence showed why this group has the ceiling of a playoff squad, not just a Play-In afterthought.
The 23-year-old floor general scored 21 points in 26 minutes off the bench, including 18 in his first 13 minutes, while adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals. He missed all three of his 3-pointers, but still went 7-for-13 from the field. He attempted a game-high nine free throws, making seven of them. (White was also 7-of-9 from the charity stripe).
Giddey was having an All-Star-caliber season before suffering a hamstring injury, and a win over a contender like the Timberwolves serves as a reminder of how good the Bulls can be when they're at full strength.
Will that affect Chicago's strategy with the trade deadline two weeks away?
Giddey's return gives Billy Donovan some intriguing lineup choices
Giddey's bench role in the win over Minnesota was meant to cap his minutes as he eases back onto the floor, and he was electric. It was also an experiment that produced some interesting results, as Julia Poe of the Chicago Tribune pointed out.
Donovan has preferred playing Jalen Smith and Nikola Vucevic together in a double-big lineup. With Giddey's spot available, the Bulls were able to begin with a lineup of Smith, Vucevic, Isaac Okoro, Matas Buzelis and White.
That group is far more solid defensively with more size and athleticism on the wing than if Giddey took Smith's starting spot, which has been the case when the Bulls are at full strength.
It won't last, but it's a wrinkle that's worth Donovan revisiting at some point.
Another team reportedly interested in Coby White
White is one of the most talked-about names in this year's trade deadline cycle. He's been linked to the Minnesota Timberwolves on several occasions and makes sense for the Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons. Even the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors could get in on the action.
Add one more potential suitor to the list: the Los Angeles Clippers, according to Tomar Azarly of ClutchPoints.
Adding another scoring ball handler to ease the pressure on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard would be a logical move for the Clippers to discuss.