*Update* Josh Giddey post All-Star break: 23.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 8.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.9 bpg on 65.5% TS

[FrodoBaggins]

Need to update thread title or have 1st page updated stats from after TDL.

Kid is playing best ball of his career and his confidence is flying high. Hate to see someone get hurt when they are playing their absolute best as you'd like to see how high they can go and for how long.

*UPDATE*

Josh has continued his stellar play, putting up 23.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 8.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.9 bpg on 65.5% TS in 35.0 minutes per game over 9 games since the All-Star break. He has shot 52.2% FG, 52.3% 2PT (10.7 attempts), 52.5% 3PT (4.4 attempts), and 86.5% FT (5.8 attempts).

For a larger sample over 21 games, Josh in 33.0 minutes per game has averaged 18.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.9 bpg on 63.1% TS. Shooting splits of 50.6% FG, 53.0% 2PT (8.3 attempts), 45.8% 3PT (4.6 attempts), and 83.0% FT (4.2 attempts).

[FrodoBaggins]

Highlights from tonight's game:

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ZHHighlights

[AussieCeltic]

Highlights from tonight's game:

Watch on YouTube

;ab_channel=ZHHighlights

Hopefully he doesn’t miss any time after that ankle injury. He was really starting to heat up

[FarBeyondDriven]

great thing about realgm is all the naysayers and blowhards so vocal about young player's struggling are nowhere to be found when these guys develop and it's time for them to eat crow.

[Raps in 4]

Presti got fleeced.

[The Servant]

I always wanted Giddey to succeed however it was a big relief when he was traded. I wanted his touches to go else where and for his glaring weaknesses to not be exploited. Enjoyed the passing and miss match in the lane he had though.

[FrodoBaggins]

If I'm CHI (and I don't get Harper or Flagg), I go all-in on Josh and build a team around him: defenders, shooters, cutters, play finishers, an iso guy, etc. He promotes an infectious, team-oriented style of play. A young guy who's an elite playmaker, has immense feel for the game, has shown serious promise, displayed continual improvement year-on-year, and has a legitimate pathway toward high-level play is a gamble I'll gladly take.

However, I don't overpay him if I don't have to. Will have to see what the market looks like; he's an RFA, so he can sign an offer sheet. Maybe UTA or BKN will throw him a big offer. Utah could turn it around really fast if they land Flagg and then add Giddey to play with Lauri and Kessler. Good match of size and skills. Not sure how much cap space they have, though.

[ogmagicfan]

I need to see him do this when its meaningful bball

He did similar at the end of last season, and was a liability in the playoffs

[QPR]

You kind of forget how young he still is

[Ruma85]

I need to see him do this when its meaningful bball

He did similar at the end of last season, and was a liability in the playoffs

Orlando could really use him.

[jordanwilliams6]

I need to see him do this when its meaningful bball

He did similar at the end of last season, and was a liability in the playoffs

Orlando could really use him.

It would be hard pressed to find a worse fit with Orlando than Giddey. A guy who needs the ball in his hands playing with two other guys that need the ball in their hands and can’t shoot?

[Ruma85]

I need to see him do this when its meaningful bball

He did similar at the end of last season, and was a liability in the playoffs

Orlando could really use him.

It would be hard pressed to find a worse fit with Orlando than Giddey. A guy who needs the ball in his hands playing with two other guys that need the ball in their hands and can’t shoot?

Wagner is better than Banchero maybe for the time being, Giddey shoots almost 38% from 3, it's way better than having Cole there.

[Ice Man]

If I'm CHI (and I don't get Harper or Flagg), I go all-in on Josh and build a team around him: defenders, shooters, cutters, play finishers, an iso guy, etc.

I think the Bulls will. I mean, they have only sensible two options -

1) Keep Giddey and build around him, or
2) Lose Giddey.

A third option, keeping Giddey but not building around him would be stupid; because he's ball dominant and isn 't helpful unless a team has players that complement his strengths and cover for his defensive weakness.

The second option would be a pure tank strategy, which is reasonable given the position the Bulls are in, but management doesn't appear interested in that path. So, that only leaves option #1.

[Scalabrine]

Completely meaningless empty stats on a non competitive team. It means absolutely nothing. There’s a reason OKC benched him and traded him away for trash.

They traded him for Alex Caruso.

[tsherkin]

Great run. Obviously, the 3pt shooting won't last. He's also a bit over his head at the line. If he drops to 37.5% 3P and 80% at the line (both likely), he starts looking more like a 58.5 - 59% TS guy, with attendant drops in scoring output and all that. But even hanging out at 50% FG somehow would keep him over 60% TS. His draw rate in this little run is about .382, which is WELL above the .132 he averaged over his first 3 seasons (.146 max), so that's another area I'd be watching for normalization (especially since he's actually getting fewer overall attempts inside the arc than his career-high average). On a seasonal level, he's doing his usual thing on the boards and as a playmaker. He's 6'8 and he's been about a 9 REB36 guy his whole career, so that part is just a function of the extra minutes he's now playing.

Still, it does kind of look like a promising little break out. He's had 2.5 months (Oct, Jan and Feb) shooting well from 3, he's obviously been quite aggressive. I'd have to look over each of the 9 games, but he's kind of blown donkeys finishing in the RA on the season, and it looks like he's back to what he's generally looked like the previous seasons as a finisher (which is to say, well above average). So that's definitely been a boon.

Definitely a guy to watch. He was already someone who did a bunch of good stuff. If he can ride this streak into competent 3pt shooting on average, then he's going to make himself very much more dangerous on offense and very much more useful overall.

[magee]

Presti got fleeced.

Giddey needs the ball in his hands. J-Dub's defense and quick evolution as a playmaker was going to render him useless if his usage rate was going to be along the line of Aaron Wiggins'.

While I don't fault the trade for what the Thunder were looking for with Alex Caruso, it seems like the real swindle is paying Caruso $20 Milli per year to maybe play 25 minutes a game.

If it helps them win a title this year, it's all worth it.

[Ctownbulls]

As a Bulls fan, the stats feel empty. Granted, anyone putting up these numbers at his age should be appreciated even if they are empty. I do believe that his reputation as a facilitator is overblown. He is a great passer but it isn't like the he quickly moves the ball around and creates an infectious attitude on the team. He over dribbles and still makes horrible decisions. Although his 3 PT shooting has been fantastic it has been a small sample and his release is still ridiculously slow. And we all know his defense leaves a lot to be desired.

That being said, he is 23 years old and these problems can easily be overcome. I think most teams would invest a significant amount of money and energy into a player like this and try to groom him over the next 3-5 years.

My biggest fear is that they pay an enormous number to a guy who doesn't clean up his game significantly and they are stuck with another contract that is immovable or impossible to build around.

I am happy I am not the one making the decision and I see the argument for both sides of the coin but I also know that whichever decision the Bulls make will be the wrong one. Odds are, they resign him for a big number that is a bit above what anyone else would even offer.

[tsherkin]

As a Bulls fan, the stats feel empty. Granted, anyone putting up these numbers at his age should be appreciated even if they are empty. I do believe that his reputation as a facilitator is overblown. He is a great passer but it isn't like the he quickly moves the ball around and creates an infectious attitude on the team. He over dribbles and still makes horrible decisions.

So just to throw out some numbers...

His Box Creation is at 6.6, though his Passer Rating is at 8.4. PlayVal 0.8. cTOV% is 12% (these are seasonal numbers, not for the stretch given). He's producing 10.9 potential assists per game. Specifically over the past 9 games, he's posting 14.0 potential assists per game, which is tied with Cade Cunningham for 8th in the league over that stretch (and is creating +0.4 points per assist compared to Cade). He's also making 14.5 more passes. That's... pretty good. Very much not empty. HIs time of possession is faster than someone like Shai, for reference, and notably so. He's actually pretty middle-of-the-pack in time of possession compared to other volume playmakers. His raw time of possession is considerably lower than Cade, Trae, Brunson, Lillard, Maxey, Harden... I could go on. It isn't even top-50 in the league (54th). Brunson tops at 8.7, and Giddey's at 4.1. He's at about 3.28 seconds per touch, which is so low it isn't even top 150 in the league. 2.92 dribbles per touch...

Now, over the past 9 games? All of that is a little higher (ToP 5.3, 3.56 seconds per touch, 3.18 dribbles per touch), but still so low that it doesn't even register as an issue relative to other guys in the league.

It doesn't invalidate your concern per se, but from a relative standpoint, he really doesn't take a lot of time compared to other guys who fill a similar role.

[Chi town]

Need to update thread title or have 1st page updated stats from after TDL.

Kid is playing best ball of his career and his confidence is flying high. Hate to see someone get hurt when they are playing their absolute best as you'd like to see how high they can go and for how long.

*UPDATE*

Josh has continued his stellar play, putting up 23.1 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 8.4 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.9 bpg on 65.5% TS in 35.0 minutes per game over 9 games since the All-Star break. He has shot 52.2% FG, 52.3% 2PT (10.7 attempts), 52.5% 3PT (4.4 attempts), and 86.5% FT (5.8 attempts).

For a larger sample over 21 games, Josh in 33.0 minutes per game has averaged 18.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.9 bpg on 63.1% TS. Shooting splits of 50.6% FG, 53.0% 2PT (8.3 attempts), 45.8% 3PT (4.6 attempts), and 83.0% FT (4.2 attempts).

Big Thanks Fro!

[Chi town]

Great run. Obviously, the 3pt shooting won't last. He's also a bit over his head at the line. If he drops to 37.5% 3P and 80% at the line (both likely), he starts looking more like a 58.5 - 59% TS guy, with attendant drops in scoring output and all that. But even hanging out at 50% FG somehow would keep him over 60% TS. His draw rate in this little run is about .382, which is WELL above the .132 he averaged over his first 3 seasons (.146 max), so that's another area I'd be watching for normalization (especially since he's actually getting fewer overall attempts inside the arc than his career-high average). On a seasonal level, he's doing his usual thing on the boards and as a playmaker. He's 6'8 and he's been about a 9 REB36 guy his whole career, so that part is just a function of the extra minutes he's now playing.

Still, it does kind of look like a promising little break out. He's had 2.5 months (Oct, Jan and Feb) shooting well from 3, he's obviously been quite aggressive. I'd have to look over each of the 9 games, but he's kind of blown donkeys finishing in the RA on the season, and it looks like he's back to what he's generally looked like the previous seasons as a finisher (which is to say, well above average). So that's definitely been a boon.

Definitely a guy to watch. He was already someone who did a bunch of good stuff. If he can ride this streak into competent 3pt shooting on average, then he's going to make himself very much more dangerous on offense and very much more useful overall.

1. Giddey has changed the way he’s playing… he’s looking to draw fouls near the basket instead of shoot floaters. He’s getting all the way to the rim or he’s drawing fouls near the rim instead of the floater. I believe in his FT rate and think he will easily get to 6 FTs per game.

2. His awful 3pt heave has changed 50% in its mechanics to an actual shot with arc and rotation now with his elbow in and wrist… not a push heave. It will continue to get better as he works with Patton one of the best shooting coaches in the game.

I think he gets to 40% from 3 on 5 attempts because he will only shoot open 3s and won’t create many off the bounce. Mainly CS wide open shots. Bulls ball movement gets him those with Ball Coby Zo and Buz being good passers.