When the Chicago Bulls acquired Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder in a (questionable) one-for-one swap for Alex Caruso, the franchise had to be thinking, "This could be our point guard of the future."
Things were not trending in that direction for the first half of this season. Through Giddey's first 39 games in Chicago, he averaged 11.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.1 steals. That's right on par or below his career averages of 13.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
Despite being loaded with potential as a 6-foot-8, high-IQ point guard with savvy passing skills, Giddey fell out of favor with the Thunder down the stretch run last season and into the playoffs due to his poor individual defense and lack of outside shooting.
As Oklahoma City made a run to the Western Conference Finals, Giddey's minutes dropped into the low teens, he was removed from the starting lineup and was even a DNP—coach's decision for a pair of playoff contests.
Chicago Giddey was looking just like OKC Giddey until a month ago when, out of nowhere, the 22-year-old became an efficient shooter and scorer.
Over a 14-game stretch from Jan. 20 through Feb. 22, Giddey averaged 16.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals, shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from three.
In the last eight games of that run, the Australian floor general averaged 19.1 points and shot 48.8 percent from deep on 5.4 attempts a night.
If his massive leap in efficiency and three-point shooting is legitimate, the Bulls may have that point guard of the future after all.
With that in mind, it's worth looking back at the best games of Giddey's career to see just how versatile and effective he can be when he's rolling.
4 Best games of Josh Giddey's NBA career
Since the former lottery pick is in his fourth season, we'll look at his four most outstanding performances, one from each year.
Feb. 14, 2022 at New York Knicks
The most lovely game of Giddey's rookie season came on Valentine's Day of 2022 in a 127-123 overtime victory at Madison Square Garden.
OKC's starting point guard scored 28 points and added 11 rebounds and 12 assists. He was 11-of-22 from the field and 3-of-4 from three. He was barely 19 years old.
Honorable mention: Feb. 2 vs Dallas Mavericks —17 points, 13 rebounds, 14 assists, four steals, three turnovers, 3-for-5 from three
March 24, 2023 at Los Angeles Lakers
The best game of Giddey's rookie season came at the Mecca of Basketball. The best game of his sophomore campaign came at Staples Center.
In a five-point loss to the Lakers, the 20-year-old Giddey scored 27 points on 12-of-24 shooting from the field and added 17 rebounds, four of which came on the offensive end, to go with seven assists (against only two turnovers), a steal and a block.
Giddey had several other standout games in his breakout season, including a 24-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist performance at MSG and a 31-point, 10-rebound, nine-assist game against the Hornets. He also posted a career-high 17 assists as part of another triple-double on March 7 against the Golden State Warriors.
April 7, 2024 at Charlotte Hornets
Giddey posted another impressive stat line toward the end of last season in a three-point road victory in Charlotte.
He scored 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and hit is lone three of the night. He also grabbed 13 rebounds and added 13 assists and a steal for good measure.
Honorable mention: March 27 vs. Houston Rockets—31 points, seven rebounds (five offensive), four assists, one steal, one block. His 31 points remain Giddey's career high.
Dec. 28, 2024 vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Giddey's best game as a member of the Bulls, at least to this point, came against Chicago's rival from up north in a 116-111 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
He added yet another triple-double to his resume, this time scoring 23 points and adding 15 rebounds and 10 assists compared to just two turnovers. He shot 60 percent from the field that night and knocked down two of his five three-point attempts.
Honorable mention: Feb. 22 vs. Phoenix Suns—24 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, zero turnovers, three steals, one block, 3-of-5 from three, 9-of-9 free throws.
Giddey has 13 triple-doubles through less than four seasons in the league. When he's at his best, he can score, rebound and creatively find open teammates as well as any other point guard in the league. He'll barely be 23 by the time the 2025-26 campaign begins but will have four years of NBA experience under his belt with potential still to unlock.
With the way he's playing heading toward the conclusion of this season, there's evidence that the Bulls have found their long-term floor general. That's not something you could have said six weeks ago.