It took nearly 10 games, but Josh Giddey is finally looking like the player the Chicago Bulls are paying $25 million per season again. In his ninth game of the season, Giddey flirted with a triple-double and ended the Bulls' string of blowout losses by pushing the Philadelphia 76ers to the limit in a 125-121 defeat.
If Giddey can sustain the more assertive style of play that he displayed against Philadelphia, then the Bulls can erase the narrative of 2026-27 already being a lost season.
Chicago is likely to experience growing pains that may ultimately keep them on the outside looking in of the 2027 NBA Playoffs. That doesn't mean that they can't grow and improve as a team, however, particularly if Giddey comes into his own in a high-volume role alongside Caleb Wilson.
Unfortunately, Giddey had attempted at least 10 field goals in just two of his first eight games, going 1-of-10 and 5-of-15 during the two he managed to.
Thankfully, Giddey was firing on all cylinders against the 76ers. He tallied 19 points, 15 assists, and seven rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including a 6-of-8 mark on twos that may have been the most encouraging development of all.
In many respects, it was the type of performance that the Bulls are expecting from him when their backs are against the wall. Fair or foul, it's the burden he carries.
Josh Giddey finally stepped up with Chicago's back against the wall
Giddey entered the clash with Philadelphia shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. He was also shooting 45.5 percent on twos, which was down from 50.0 percent in 2025-26. That likely played a direct role in his trepidation as a scorer.
For a Bulls team that ranks No. 26 in the NBA in offensive rating, there simply wasn't a way to justify a player who looked like a future All-Star just last season failing to assert himself.
Thankfully, Giddey is starting to turn things around. He's been far more aggressive as a passer in recent games already, recording at least 10 assists in three of his past six appearances. It's his scoring, however, that can make all the difference.
Giddey doesn't need to be a true go-to scorer, of course, but falling from 13.3 field goal attempts per game in 2025-26 to just 9.3 in 2026-27 is tough to discard as meaningless.
Bulls need Josh Giddey to remain assertive as an offensive player
Keep in mind: Chicago went 10-10 when Giddey scored at least 20 points in 2025-26 and 11-23 when he played but failed to. As such, there's a clear history of his scoring having a direct impact on team success.
With his playmaking also a pivotal factor, that puts the ball in his proverbial court to take pressure off of Wilson during his rookie season and simplify the game for everyone around him.
A part of the reason Giddey's scoring is so influential is that it prevents teams from anticipating the pass. He shouldn't necessarily shoot through slumps like a pure scorer would, but he must remain aggressive enough that teams can't sag off of him in the way they had started to through eight games.
Thankfully, Giddey seemed to flip a switch against Philadelphia and may finally be snapping out of the funk that limited his impact through the first eight games.
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