Josh Giddey is hoping to 'unlock' his potential with a bigger role in Chicago

In one of the first surprises of the summer, Josh Giddey was traded to Chicago for Alex Caruso, who will become one of Oklahoma City's most recruited guards. On Tuesday, the Australian confirmed that he had told his former manager Sam Presti that he did not want to leave the bench next season.

This eventually led to the guard being sold to the Bulls, which will be his chance to lead the team alongside other stars such as Zach Lavine and DeMar DeRozan. “I just said to him at this point in my career, I'm 21 years old, it wasn't something I was looking forward to too much.

“And he was completely understanding, and throughout the process we were comfortable and honest with each other…. He found it. We worked together throughout the program, he brought me to a good place,” said the young athlete in his press conference.

Josh Giddey is ready to make plays at UC.@PaycorInc | #BonaBomvu pic.twitter.com/II3Vv7KkYy

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) June 25, 2024

The 6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft finally made it to Illinois after competing for three full seasons with the Thunder, as the team hopes this will help rebuild a roster that missed the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns.

The Aussie joins the Bulls after averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds on 47.5% shooting last season, a drop from his 2022-23 showings. Giddey realized that he had to learn to adapt to a new role in the final campaign.

“It wasn't a bad look for me. “It was great that our team was so good,” explained Josh. “There were many players who knew how to handle the ball and do different things. I had to adjust. I had to learn different things.”

The 21-year-old player has also been involved in off-court disputes that may have affected his performance. “When you're in the middle of it, it's hard to see the light, but when I look back now, it probably taught me a lot of lessons that are necessary for a young player at the beginning of his skill and how to adapt to different areas. ,” he confirmed.

Giddey welcomes the decision that takes him to Chicago, as he believes that this will be his chance to lead and unlock his potential.

After three campaigns in Oklahoma, Giddey slowly emerged as one of the most versatile and creative players in the league, proving he has what it takes to lead the franchise in the future. Although this has not been discussed publicly, it seems that the Bulls are eager to put the ball in Australia's hands.

“It will be difficult to use my full potential, in my opinion, in a team like this [Oklahoma City] and many talented boys who needed the ball in their hands, who were good with the ball in their hands,” said the 21-year-old player. “A change of scenery would open up some of that for me.”

“Being able to make the game easier for everyone, being able to bring the boys together, distribute the ball and make other players confident is something I'm proud of doing,” he added. “And it's difficult to do that in a role where the ball is not in your hands a lot. … That's probably the biggest thing coming here. I want to be the first point guard that I am.”

The rising star is coming off a career-high 80 starts for the Thunder, despite seeing his scoring average drop from 16.6 in the regular season to 12.3 in the playoffs. The guard saw his playing time dwindle during this period, even coming off the bench for his team in their final two postseason games.