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An Honest Assessment of Josh Giddey's Poor Start To The Season
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- An Honest Assessment of Josh Giddey's Poor Start To The Season
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The Chicago Bulls entered the 2026-27 season with plenty of questions surrounding their young roster, but Josh Giddey was supposed to be one of the answers.
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Instead, the Australian point guard has been one of the team's biggest disappointments through the opening six games.
After a strong 2025-26 campaign, expectations were understandably high for the 24-year-old. With a new coaching staff, a revamped roster and a rebuilding franchise looking for its identity, Giddey was expected to be the steady hand guiding Chicago's offense.
So far, that hasn't been the case.
Through six games, Giddey is averaging just 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists while committing 2.3 turnovers per game. Even more concerning, he's shooting just 38% from the field and 26% from beyond the arc.
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Those numbers are a far cry from what Bulls fans expected coming into the season.
Oct 26, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) passes around Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) to teammate forward Jalen Smith (25) during the second quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Where Has the Aggression Gone?
Perhaps the most frustrating part of Giddey's early-season struggles hasn't been his shooting. It's been his lack of aggression.
Giddey has never been a score-first point guard, and nobody expects him to suddenly become one. His greatest strength has always been his ability to find open teammates and create scoring opportunities for others.
But there's a difference between being a pass-first point guard and being a player defenses don't have to worry about scoring.
Too often this season, Giddey has looked hesitant to attack the basket. Defenders are giving him space, daring him to shoot and focusing their attention on Chicago's other offensive threats.
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That makes life harder for everyone.
When Giddey is aggressive, defenders have to respect his ability to get downhill. That opens up passing lanes, creates opportunities for cutters and gives Chicago's shooters cleaner looks.
When he isn't, the offense becomes significantly easier to defend.
It's also worth wondering how much his offseason ankle surgery has impacted his explosiveness. Giddey has never been an elite athlete, but any loss of quickness or confidence attacking the basket could make an already difficult scoring profile even tougher.
Whether that's playing a role in his struggles remains unclear, but it's something worth keeping an eye on as the season progresses.
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Being a Great Passer Doesn't Make You a Great Floor General
One of the more interesting aspects of Giddey's game is the difference between his passing ability and his ability to actually run an NBA offense.
Make no mistake, Giddey is a terrific passer. His vision is exceptional, particularly when he's attacking the paint and finding shooters on drive-and-kick opportunities or dumping the ball off to his big men around the rim.
But running an offense requires much more than finding the open man.
Giddey still struggles with some of the nuances that separate talented passers from great floor generals.
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Controlling the tempo of a game, handling defensive pressure while bringing the ball up the floor and recognizing when the offense needs to slow down are all areas where he has room to grow.
There's also the matter of understanding the players around him.
A great point guard recognizes when a teammate hasn't touched the ball in several possessions and makes an effort to get him involved. He identifies mismatches before the defense can adjust and understands when to attack them rather than simply running through the next action.
These are the little things that don't necessarily show up in a box score but make an enormous difference over the course of a game.
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Giddey's 7.5 assists per game are impressive, but they don't tell the entire story of how effectively he's managing Chicago's offense.
If he's going to be the Bulls' point guard of the future, becoming a more complete floor general needs to be a priority.
Oct 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) hits a three point shot against the Washington Wizards during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
The Defensive Concerns Haven't Gone Anywhere
Unfortunately, Giddey's struggles haven't been limited to the offensive end.
Defense has long been one of the biggest concerns surrounding his game, and the opening six games haven't done much to change that narrative.
Giddey continues to struggle staying in front of quicker guards, navigating screens and recovering when opposing players get a step on him.
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His size gives him some advantages defensively, particularly as a rebounder, but those advantages don't always translate into effective perimeter defense.
And in a league filled with explosive guards who can create offense off the dribble, those weaknesses are difficult to hide.
Again, the offseason ankle surgery raises some questions about whether Giddey is operating at full athletic capacity. But even before the procedure, his lateral quickness and defensive positioning were areas of concern.
Chicago doesn't need Giddey to become an All-Defensive Team player. It does, however, need him to become someone opposing offenses can't consistently target.
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It's Early, But the Development Matters
Six games is an incredibly small sample size, and there's no reason to panic about Giddey's long-term future just yet.
But that doesn't mean his early struggles should be ignored.
The Bulls are rebuilding. Nobody should be expecting this team to compete for a championship, and wins and losses aren't necessarily the best way to measure success.
Development is what matters.
And that development doesn't just apply to Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis. It applies to Giddey, too.
At 24 years old, he's still young enough to take another significant step forward. The question is whether he can become a more reliable scoring threat, a better defensive player and a more complete floor general without sacrificing the playmaking instincts that make him special.
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The Bulls don't need Giddey to score 25 points every night. They need him to be aggressive enough that defenses respect his scoring ability, intelligent enough to consistently put his teammates in advantageous positions and reliable enough defensively to hold his own.
Heading into the season, Giddey was thought to be a core piece the Bulls could rely on as they began their rebuild. It's still very early, but the Bulls should not be inspired by Josh Giddey's performance so far.
There's a talented player in there. Bulls fans saw it last season But for now, Giddey has left the Bulls' new management with more questions than answers.
