The longest-running question of the Bulls offseason is now answered. Josh Giddey has agreed to a contract extension with the team worth $100 million over four years. The final number represented a compromise for both sides, but Giddey still has to prove that he’s worth this amount.
Is Josh Giddey a rising star or a fluky hot streak?
In his first season with the Bulls, Giddey put together a solid campaign. Overall, he finished averaging 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game on about 46 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent from three. He also showed some defensive improvement, including a career-high in steals at 1.2 per game.
When you dive deeper into Giddey’s season, you start to see why some fans fear that an unsustainable hot streak is boosting his numbers. In the last 19 games of his season after the All-Star break, Giddey had an incredible stretch, which may not represent his true talent.
In that stretch, Giddey averaged 21.2 points, 9.3 assists, and almost 11 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and a mind-blowing 45.7 percent from three. Overall for his career, Giddey is a 34 percent shooter from deep and shot that percentage in the earlier part of the season before the All-Star break.
Giddey truthers will point out that he received more opportunities after Zach LaVine was traded to the Kings, which allowed him to be more aggressive in looking for his shot and possibly improved his rhythm for outside shooting as well. He also played six more minutes per game (34 vs 28) after the All-Star game, so an increase in counting stats is to be expected.
However, it’s hard to think that his shooting stroke will be sustained in the long term. It’s such an outlier compared to the rest of his career, and on such a small sample size, that it’s not wise to bet on him showing anything remotely close again. Still, his increased aggression in looking for his own shot paid dividends in more ways than one.
Even if his shooting comes back down to earth, Giddey’s increased aggression can open up opportunities for teammates. Giddey is an excellent playmaker capable of making both simple and difficult passes, so he can exploit those openings.
Even though they have negotiated him down from his original asking price, the Bulls are still taking a big risk on Josh Giddey. His sizable contract will impact how they handle Coby White next offseason, and build the team in the future. Hopefully, Giddey can continue to show the leaps he made late last season and prove himself worthy of his contract extension.