Bulls guard Josh Giddey has passing fancy that comes with warning label
Zach LaVine read the warning label.
Before having the opportunity to play even one scrimmage possession with new Bulls teammate Josh Giddey, LaVine knew what was coming.
“We’ve got a helluva playmaker in Josh,” LaVine said. “We played against him plenty of times and know what he brings to the table. I’m looking forward to going out there and playing with Josh, competing, and definitely having my hands ready because he can pass that thing.”
That he can, as LaVine and his teammates have found out.
Sidelined with an ankle injury most of the summer and into the start of Bulls training camp, Giddey finally got into full five-on-five scrimmages, and didn’t disappoint.
The early consensus is his court vision and passing ability is even better than advertised. That means be ready or have a basketball bounced off the hands, head, or any other appendage that isn’t prepared.
While Giddey has his share of flaws on the basketball court, anticipating where to pass the ball before others definitely isn’t one of them. But for teammates that aren’t used to that or on the same page as him, that can often result in an errant pass or ugly turnover.
That’s the fine line that Giddey walks. Can he get his teammates to understand he’s playing chess, not checkers at times?
“I’ve got where maybe there are passes I can’t make but I think I can in my head and I try to make them that are probably not there in the moment,” Giddey said. “I guess it’s just a confidence. As a passer you can’t live on the edge.”
Which is still a work in progress for Giddey.
As a rookie with Oklahoma City in the 2021-22 season, Giddey averaged 6.4 assists per game, but also 3.2 turnovers. His sophomore season with the Thunder, the assists were 6.2 per game, while turnovers went down to 2.8.
Losing minutes last year, Giddey averaged 4.8 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game.
Playing for Australia in the Olympics this past summer, however, Giddey underwent an awakening. He did have several NBA-caliber players on the roster with him, but he also had players that didn’t have that talent or understanding of the game. It appeared that Giddey didn’t always know his customers, evident by the six assists and five turnovers per game. That included seven turnovers in a heartbreaking quarterfinal overtime loss to Serbia.
“Throughout the Olympics that was one of the things if I could go back I would clean up the turnovers,” Giddey said. “It was careless passes, things that are fixable. I’ve always been a pass-first guy so if I’m going to (rethink) those plays you have to look after the ball.
“I’m putting an emphasis on that, taking care of the ball better is something I need to get better at. Watching the Olympics back – I watched every game – you don’t want to get to the point where you are overthinking everything.”
That’s why having Giddey up and running in camp and into the start of these preseason games is so important for the Bulls. He has to get used to his teammates, but more importantly, they need to get used to him.
“He can really pass the ball,” Bulls guard Coby White said of Giddey. “He has a high IQ, really competitive. Has an edge to him. That’s the thing I like about him the most. He has an edge to him. He wants to win. He’s not going to back down.”
But as far as the level of difficulty on some of his passes? Let’s say it at least needs to be tempered.
“Play your game, play naturally,” Giddey added of his philosophy. “Turnovers are bound to happen to anybody but as long as you can keep it in moderation it shouldn’t be too big a problem.”