The Chicago Bulls made one of the most surprising signings of the summer when they brought in veteran sharpshooter Norman Powell in the midst of the best stretch of his career. Rather than signing with a proven contender, Powell joined Chicago on a two-year, $45 million deal that seemingly implies he's going to be a featured open.
Though the Bulls have caught flack for a signing that doesn't necessarily align with their timeline, Powell's arrival has bought Josh Giddey time to resolve the cause of his sudden collapse during the second half of the 2025-26 season.
Entering the offseason, Giddey appeared to be on some degree of borrowed time. Chicago cleaned house by parting with a vast majority of its players, replacing its lead executives, and effectively leaving no one but Giddey and fellow promising up-and-comer Matas Buzelis from the previous regime's roster building tactics.
Chicago then invested the No. 4 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft into high-volume big man scorer Caleb Wilson, seemingly implying that a new franchise player had arrived.
The opportunity still exists, of course, for Giddey to prove that he can thrive alongside Wilson and lead Chicago back to the playoffs. If Wilson lives up to the hype and Giddey struggles in the same way he did in 2025-26, however, there's reason to believe that the younger and more affordable player who was actually acquired by this specific front office will win out.
Thankfully, when the Bulls signed Powell, they effectively committed to the core in place and bought Giddey time to carve out a sustainable role—even if that means featuring less as a scorer.
Signing Norman Powell takes scoring pressure off of Josh Giddey
Giddey entered Christmas averaging 20.0 points and 2.0 three-point field goals made per game on .479/.402/.745 shooting. Compounded by his status as a nightly triple-double threat at 9.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per contest, he looked the part of a potential offensive juggernaut.
Unfortunately, Giddey averaged just 14.0 points on .409/.331/.795 shooting after Christmas, which has created a fair reason to question if he can be a true No. 1.
If the Bulls' current core of players live up to their respective potential, however, then Giddey won't even need to be the first or second scoring option—or perhaps even the third. Buzelis and Wilson have flashed tremendous potential as scorers and could overtake Giddey in the proverbial pecking order.
It's Powell, however, who takes the most pressure off of Giddey as a proven scorer who can offer volume and efficiency both on and away from the ball.
Is Josh Giddey an offensive star or an all-around offensive player?
Powell finished the 2025-26 regular season with averages of 21.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.7 three-point field goals made per game on .470/.380/.827 shooting. He earned his first career All-Star nod by stepping up for an injury-plagued Heat team and taking on the responsibility of a No. 1, all the while adapting to a lesser role when the situation commanded it.
If Powell can translate that success to Chicago, then the Bulls should have a far easier time pacing Giddey through the season and ideally discovering what type of player he can become.
If Giddey can truly become an offensive star who scores and facilitates at All-Star levels, the Bulls will have every reason to celebrate that development. If he's more of a playmaker who can score as a part of the system, however, then they now have the depth to accept him in such a role.
Thanks to the polarizing decision to sign Powell, Chicago has bought Giddey invaluable time by covering up potential flaws, accentuating his passing, and creating scoring depth.
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