The Chicago Bulls made a baffling trade to land Josh Giddey. They turned down offers of multiple first-round draft picks for Alex Caruso only to trade him for the 22-year-old guard straight up right after Giddey was played off the floor in the playoffs. The Bulls believed in the former top-ten draft pick, but the deal caught plenty of heat.
Chicago has a glut of guards and no clear avenue to solve their problem. The Bulls want to trade Zach LaVine, but the former All-Star is drawing no interest because of his contract. They cannot go guards only around Nikola Vucevic, which leaves the franchise with some difficult rotation choices.
Head coach Billy Donovan continues to start Josh Giddey, despite his struggles. He has taken the 6’8 guard out of the closing lineup and clearly favors other options. It is time for Donovan to bench Giddey. He must start and close with his best five on the floor if the Bulls want to make the Play-In Tournament.
Billy Donovan must bench Josh Giddey
Giddey’s flaws are on full display. He has shot just 31.9 percent on his 91 3-point attempts this season, which is slightly better than his 31.1 percent career mark. Giddey does not space the floor, and teams will treat him like a non-shooter. The 6’8 guard rebounds well and makes plays, but his defense is problematic. He is sixth on the team in minutes per game, despite starting all 25 games.
Donovan has gone away from Giddey completely in the Bulls' last three clutch games. He has used Coby White, Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic each time the game has been within five points in the final five minutes. The fifth spot has been a revolving door with Lonzo Ball, Matas Buzelis, Patrick Williams, and Talen Horton-Tucker getting chances.
The veteran head coach does not trust Giddey to finish games, so why is he still starting? That is what the 22-year-old wants. He requested a trade out of Oklahoma City because he would be coming off the bench, but this is the NBA. The Bulls want to win and qualify for the postseason. They must play their best five players to make that happen, and Giddey is not part of that group.
Chicago needs to add defense to their starting five. Josh Giddey can come off the bench and run the second unit with Lonzo Ball. The Bulls would love for Ball to start, but the team must limit his minutes after several injuries. Let Dosunmu be the defensive stopper and use Giddey to attack second units.
Josh Giddey will be a restricted free agent in the offseason, and the Bulls paid handsomely to acquire him. Those facts matter. Giddey is still starting because the team does not want him to request another trade. The 22-year-old must improve his defense and shooting to start and close games. He has the potential but must put it all together.
Until he does, Billy Donovan and the Chicago Bulls should bring him off the bench, especially if they are eyeing the postseason. It is not an easy call, but the head coach hurts his team by not opening the game with his best lineup. That group does not feature Josh Giddey right now, so adjustments should be made.