Josh Giddey hasn’t relied much on the lob pass throughout his career, but he insists that it’s mostly because of the big men he’s been teamed up with, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. That will change this season with the Bulls, who drafted Caleb Wilson as the leader of a group of high-flyers that also includes Matas Buzelis, Nic Claxton and Noa Essengue. Giddey is looking forward to showing off his alley-oop skills and getting plenty of easy baskets.
“All these bigs I’ve played with have been really good in their own ways, but it’s been good to have a different look where that gives me the ability to put the ball near the rim and have guys go get it,” Giddey said. “Whether it’s wings or our fives, we’ve got guys that can catch lobs all around. I’ve got to get better at throwing them, but I think it’s going to be good to have guys that I can kind of put it anywhere around the cylinder and they’ll go take care of the rest.”
Cowley notes that Chicago also acquired shooting this summer, bringing Norman Powell and Buddy Hield into what should be an improved offense. Giddey will be on the on-court leader who’ll have to incorporate all the new weapons and execute head coach Tiago Splitter’s vision for the team.
“I think he has a lot of guys that can score around him, so he knows that,” Splitter said of Giddey. “He’s thinking about the game, he’s smart about it, and hopefully game-by-game our vision starts to get a little more clear and he can help this team to be effective.”
There’s more from Chicago:
Claxton, who’s recovering from a hamstring injury, may be the Bulls’ only player who’s not ready for opening night, per Jeff Agrest of The Chicago Sun-Times. Claxton was doing light jogging at Friday’s shootaround, and while he might return soon, he won’t be rushed back. “Every day he does something else and more aggressive,” Splitter said. “But — I’m not going to stop repeating this — this is a very dangerous injury. The chances of redoing it are big. So we’ve got to be careful.” Splitter added that backup center Zach Collins, who’s dealing with a quad injury, has been cleared for full contact.
The Bulls were encouraged to see Wilson embrace the spotlight during his first NBA preseason, according to Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune (subscription required). Whether he’s talking about something positive or negative, Wilson has been open and honest about his experiences. “It’s never felt like it’s too much,” he said. “The best players to ever play had a rough start to their career, and my start isn’t even rough. I feel like I’m doing great out there. I just go out there and learn. I’m a rookie. I’m going against competition I haven’t faced before and I’m being asked to do stuff that I haven’t been asked for before. I expect there to be mistakes and I should give myself grace to play.”
Leonard Miller, who was acquired from Minnesota in February, views Chicago as a potential long-term home (Twitter video link from Will Gottlieb of CHGO Bulls). “I love it here,” Miller said. “I feel like the time since I’ve been here after I got traded has been amazing.”