Josh Giddey has been locked in as the Bulls' starting point guard for the foreseeable future with his new contract. He’ll be expected to not only produce at a high level on the court but also elevate his teammates, given the Bulls' young roster and Giddey's own playmaking skills.
One improvement to look out for, though, is the 22-year-old pushing the pace.
The Running of the Bulls leads to the team‘s best results
Last season, the Bulls ranked second in the NBA in overall pace. Giddey’s arrival and the injection of youth were key to that development because the Bulls were 28th in that category the season prior.
After the All-Star break last year, the Bulls even ramped up to become the fastest-paced team in the NBA. At a time when other teams were slowing it down to prepare for the postseason, the Bulls kept up their relentless onslaught and barrage of quick buckets. Their 17-10 record in this time shows the dividends of pushing the pace more than other teams.
Giddey showed great improvement as a shooter in the second half of last season, but his primary role is that of a playmaker. His passing has always been his biggest strength, and it’s the attribute that can determine his team’s full ceiling.
At his best, Giddey can push the tempo and create for teammates in a manner reminiscent of Tyrese Haliburton. Like Haliburton and the Pacers, Giddey also has multiple shooters and athletes to find on the fastbreak. The Bulls can steal the Pacers’ tactic of running teams out of the building with a dangerous fastbreak attack.
Historically, this has been considered a regular-season strategy that flames out in the playoffs. However, the Pacers showed the resilience of pace-pushing even in a deep playoff run last season. The key is to have a great playmaker who can push the break without turning it over and sufficient depth to keep pressure on the opposing defense.
Giddey has some unique advantages for pushing the Bulls’ pace. At his size, he can corral a lot more rebounds than the average point guard. In fact, his average of 8.1 rebounds per game last season is a number expected from a power forward. This allows him to immediately turn defense into offense rather than waiting for a pass from a big.
Additionally, Giddey’s 6-foot-8 height allows him to see over the top of transition defenses and throw dimes down the court. This advantage is most clear in Denver’s Nikola Jokic, but Giddey also had some highlight outlet passes last season, which point to the same advantage.
The Bulls are at their best when they are in transition and catching teams sleeping. Their ability to exploit this skill depends largely on Giddey’s transition playmaking and how fast he can get the ball up the court.