Bulls guard Josh Giddey hoping for an OKC-like turnaround for franchise
Every team has a tell this time of year.
For Milwaukee, they have brought Giannis Antetokounmpo back despite heading for a play-in game at best.
Meanwhile, Memphis is in no hurry to bring Ja Morant back from an elbow injury, while Dallas is in no rush to bring back Cooper Flagg – and rightfully so – as the Rookie of the Year candidate has been dealing with a left midfoot sprain.
Then there’s the Bulls.
A roster left small and underwhelming in the frontcourt after the Feb. 5 trade deadline, but one that also has enough talent everywhere else to easily go 7-13 over the final 20 games. That’s why sitting in the No. 9 spot of the draft order pre-lottery feels nestled rather than turbulent.
The Bulls have the 10th easiest schedule remaining, have veteran free agents looking to make a statement for their next pay day, and have the heavy foot of coach Billy Donovan that knows pedal to the floor all the time.
The Grizzlies (sitting No. 8 in the lottery) have the fifth toughest schedule remaining, while the Mavericks (No. 7 in the lottery) have the fourth toughest.
As far as the six teams patrolling the bottom of the standings, too far for the Bulls to sink at this point, and much more committed to the process. The Bulls didn’t pick a direction until a month ago. Teams like Indiana, Washington, Brooklyn, Utah and Sacramento saw the writing on the wall by November.
Those teams also don’t have a Josh Giddey. Yes, the Bulls guard left the game against the Thunder in the second half with a tweaked ankle but afterward sounded like it was more bump in the road than setback as the Bulls venture out for a five-game West Coast trip starting on Thursday.
Giddey saw what a quick turnaround for a team looks like while playing in Oklahoma City and is hellbent on his current organization attempting to duplicate that. It’s almost like he’s willing to dip his toe in the lottery process this season because of where the roster is, and then it’s time to get back to climbing in the Eastern Conference.
“When I was in Oklahoma, we went from the worst team in the league to the best team in the league in 24 months,” Giddey said. “We did it pretty quickly. A lot of rebuilds don’t necessarily happen that fast. Obviously, with the people and personnel we had it got speeded up pretty quickly. Over those three years, we built a lot of really good habits, winning habits.”
Basically, what Donovan has been preaching throughout this disappointing season and will continue to preach, and while duplicating what the Thunder did is completely unrealistic, there’s no reason why the Bulls stay frequent guests in the lottery.
Giddey, Matas Buzelis, a hopefully healthy Jaden Ivey, money to spend on the likes of a restricted free agent like a Mark Williams, Walker Kessler or Tari Eason, and then wherever they land in the 2026 draft, and suddenly the Bulls are at least back fighting for mediocrity with a higher ceiling.
A starting five of Giddey, Ivey, Buzelis at his natural spot of the three, Jalen Smith and Williams with youngsters Keaton Wagler and Noa Essengue developing off the bench? Not OKC good by any means, but at least a foothold.
“It’s the little things that help you get back to that point,” Giddey said. “It doesn't happen overnight. These things take time to build. I believe in the guys in this locker room and the coaches and the people in this building that we have the ability to get there. But you can't skip steps in this process and everyone has to be bought in 100 percent and I think when you do that and find an identity as a team you can get yourself back into the picture.”