The Paris Olympics offered Chicago Bulls fans an inside look at one of their newest additions: guard Josh Giddey, who made his Olympic debut for Australia.
Giddey, acquired in a June trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for guard Alex Caruso, helmed the offense as starting point guard, leading Australia to two group-stage wins before a quarterfinal loss to Serbia, which rallied Tuesday behind reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
What can Bulls fans take away from Giddey’s performance in the tournament? Let’s take a look.
The good
While he was never the team’s leading scorer, Giddey was a production engine for Australia, averaging 17.5 points and six assists in four games. He bounced back from a rough NBA season from behind the arc by making 47.4% of his 3-point attempts and attacked the rim with gusto. His deft slashes to the basket opened up dump-off and spray-out opportunities to hit teammates such as Jock Landale and Patty Mills.
Giddey soared in particular against Spain in the group stage, notching 17 points and eight assists in his most efficient performance of the tournament. The win highlighted what Giddey can do at his best: open the floor with the ball in his hands and while spacing off his teammates, look to score and pass with equal measure.
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The not-so-good
When analyzing the play of a 21-year-old making his Olympic debut, it’s unfair to fully categorize anything as “bad.” International play is a fundamentally different challenge than the NBA, which is why players can be incredibly successful in the NBA and not make a splash for their national team (or vice versa).
That said, Giddey showed a clear need for improvement in his final two games of the tournament that reflected one of the key weaknesses from his tenure in Oklahoma City: ball protection.
Giddey averaged five turnovers per game, coughing up seven in Tuesday’s elimination game against Serbia — including a brutal giveaway in the final 24 seconds of overtime. Australia’s offense thrived in transition, but when its opponents scored frequently enough to dry up opportunities to push the pace, the Aussies became somewhat stymied in the half court. This is when Giddey’s decision making cropped up as he forced the ball unnecessarily and rushed passes while attempting to set a higher tempo.
While Giddey’s playmaking flashed, posting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.83 isn’t much of a passing grade for a starting point guard. Learning to balance his creativity with efficiency will be a central focus of Giddey’s development in Chicago.
Lingering questions
Between the highs and lows, Giddey’s performance in Paris produced two major questions.
The first: Can he keep shooting at this clip?
Giddey already was losing steam — and confidence — with the Thunder before the playoffs, but it was dismal shooting that finally dislodged him from his starting role for good. He shot 45.3% from the field and 35.3% on 3-pointers in the playoffs, including a brutal 3-for-16 stretch on 3s in a seven-game series loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Olympics appeared to be a regression to the mean. The improved shooting didn’t appear to be a fluke — Giddey was more specific with his shot selection and more confident in open looks.
But the Bulls have to wonder which version of Giddey will show up at training camp this fall. Making shots from behind the arc has been a key weakness for the Bulls for two seasons. If Giddey can replicate his Olympic efficiency with the Bulls, he immediately would improve one of the worst aspects of their offense.
This leads into the second question: Is this the role the Bulls envision Giddey fitting into in Chicago?
A huge part of Giddey’s discomfort with the Thunder last season derived from a changed role that took the ball out of his hands. The Bulls seem set to return Giddey to starting point guard, which would more closely reflect the positional responsibilities he assumed in the Olympics. And if that return provides Giddey the same comfort he displayed for his national team, the guard will be well-positioned for a growth year in Chicago.
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The next step for Giddey won’t be clear until training camp.