Josh Giddey’s roster fit was recently discussed by the Chicago Bulls organization, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “They view him [Giddey] as Lonzo Ball-light – a point guard with positional height to not only rebound, but also to attack the opposing defense with his ability to get the ball quickly up the floor by keeping his own dribble or delivering uncanny outlet passes.
Is Josh Giddey Truly a Ball-Light from Lonzo?July 27, 2024; Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France: In men’s Group A play at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy Olympic Summer Games in Paris, 2024, Australia guard Josh Giddey (3) is defended by Spain forward Xabi Lopez-Arostegui (6).
July 27, 2024; Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France: In men’s Group A play at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy Olympic Summer Games in Paris, 2024, Australia guard Josh Giddey (3) is defended by Spain forward Xabi Lopez-Arostegui (6).
John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports provided the image.
It is, at best, unfair to compare Josh Giddey to Lonzo Ball without taking into account the differences in their actual skill sets and NBA growth.
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the team’s media day at Advocate Center on October 2, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the team’s media day at Advocate Center on October 2, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
David Banks/USA TODAY Sports has the photo.
Additionally, the Giddey-to-Ball comparison is outdated. Giddey’s NBA outlook was summed up by Sam Vecenie and Andrew Schlecht of The Athletic in a scouting report for the 2021 NBA Draft, which directly compared him to Ball: Due to their comparable statistical results in the NBL, Giddey and LaMelo Ball have been compared a lot in the past year. However, Giddey’s profile resembles Lonzo’s more than it does LaMelo.”
After spending two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Ball showed a remarkable improvement in his three-point shooting by 2021. He shot 37.6% on 7.2 3PA/game during his Pelicans tenure, compared to 31.5% on 5.3 3PA/game during his first two NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
On March 4, 2021, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, guard Lonzo Ball (2) of the New Orleans Pelicans tries a jump shot at the Smoothie King Center during the third quarter of a game against the Miami Heat.
On March 4, 2021, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, guard Lonzo Ball (2) of the New Orleans Pelicans tries a jump shot at the Smoothie King Center during the third quarter of a game against the Miami Heat.
Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports is seen.
Ball acknowledges that Pelicans assistant coach Fred Vinson’s radical modification of his shooting mechanics is responsible for his remarkable improvement in three-point shooting. Does Josh Giddey’s shooting mechanics need to be entirely overhauled by shooting coach Peter Patton in order for the Bulls to succeed in the future? Given that Giddey has previously had shooting development time with Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Chip Engelland, how comfortable are Bulls supporters with the idea that Patton will save Giddey’s shot?
Giddey clearly needs to improve in defense, and it is ridiculous to hold the 21-year-old to the level of Ball before he has played a minute for the Bulls. Ball’s reputation as a defensive player was well-established when he filed to enter the 2017 NBA Draft.
Giddey is a neutral-length defender at 6-foot-8 with a corresponding wingspan, while Ball is a long defender at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. Compared to Ball, who can hold his own in defensive changes even against more formidable defensive assignments, Giddey will always be less defensively capable.
Another Front Office Error for the Chicago Bulls
All of the aforementioned suggests that the Bulls front office, under the direction of Marc Eversley and Arturas Karnisovas, is attempting to establish a case for not having a solid long-term roster building vision. Myopic talent evaluation would have Josh Giddey performing at any level similar to Lonzo Ball’s meager Bulls play.
April 22, 2022, Chicago, Illinois, USA: Before game three of the Chicago Bulls’ 2022 NBA playoff first round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas (right) speaks with general manager Marc Eversley (left).
April 22, 2022, Chicago, Illinois, USA: Before game three of the Chicago Bulls’ 2022 NBA playoff first round matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas (right) speaks with general manager Marc Eversley (left).
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Bulls On Tap has already shown evidence that the “AKME” front office regime is mostly driven by emotions rather than strategic ambitions. Combined with ESPN’s coverage of the Bulls front office “trying to relive the magic they’d found for half a season in 2021–22,” it is now possible to argue that Chicago’s executives are both sentimental and nostalgic.
Visionary leadership is the opponent of sentimental attachments and nostalgia. It will be the front office leadership’s responsibility to demonstrate in the 2024–25 season that they have a realistic plan in place to rebuild the Bulls back into a respectable, winning team. As of right now, it seems that the “AKME” government has no idea what it wants to see happen to the Bulls basketball operations department.
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