Giddey's turning point: 'I was trying too hard to fit in'

• Josh Giddey was one of the best players in the NBA post the All-Star break
• He is now a restricted free agent, which means the Bulls can match any offer made to him
• Giddey will spend time between Los Angeles and Melbourne in the off-season

As the Chicago Bulls' season comes to an end, Australian point guard Josh Giddey faces an important summer filled with both physical recovery and contractual decisions.

The Melbourne-born playmaker spoke to Chicago's media at season's end about his hand injury, restricted free agency status, and personal growth during his first season with the Bulls.

Upcoming Free Agency

With restricted free agency looming, Giddey admitted he hasn't dwelled extensively on contract negotiations.

"I haven't really thought too much about it. The season's just finished, so I've tried to keep my focus," he said.

"Obviously contracts been in the back of my mind for a while. I understand it's coming up this summer, but in terms of the offers, where they come from, where they are, I haven't thought too much about it."

As a restricted free agent, Giddey understands the Bulls will have the opportunity to match any offers from other teams after July 1. This places him in a position where his future with Chicago remains uncertain, though he appears to be taking a measured approach to the business side of his career.

"I understand the business side of it, but also I haven't thought too much about it, you know, past where and when the contract will get done," he said.

Season of Two Halves

Giddey's self-assessment of his first season in Chicago reveals a tale of two distinctly different performances. The first half saw him struggling to find his rhythm as he attempted to integrate into a new team environment.

"Coming into a new situation, I never wanted to come in here and step on any toes," Giddey explained.

"I was trying too hard to fit in and to please everybody."

However, the post-All-Star break period marked a significant turning point in his season.

"Post deadline, all-star break time, I started to just play freely and be me," he said.

"Post deadline we as a team found another gear and some guys, a lot of guys actually, took it to another level."

This shift coincided with the trade of Zach LaVine, which opened up new opportunities within the team structure.

"When Zac got moved, he was obviously such a big part of what we did here, and it kind of opened up an avenue for other guys to step into," Giddey reflected.

"I saw that as an opportunity to take on a bigger responsibility, both sides of the ball."

The Bulls finished the season with a strong 15-5 run, which Giddey views as evidence of the team's potential and his own capabilities when playing with confidence.

Two Versions of Giddey

When asked about which version of himself teams should expect going forward — the tentative player from the first 50 games or the confident performer from the season's latter stages — Giddey didn't hesitate.

"If you asked me to sell myself, I'd say the second half of the year player is who I am," he declared.

"The first half is just a completely different guy, confidence was probably down, aggression levels was probably down, trying to fit in too much. The second half of the year player is who I've been, and it just took me a little while to get back to that."

He attributed the transformation to factors beyond statistics: "It was a confidence level, an aggression level, effort level. There were just so many things that changed throughout the year."

As the Bulls' point guard, Giddey embraced the leadership responsibilities that came with the position. "As a point guard, a lot of that falls on your shoulders, and I loved having that responsibility," he said.

Hand Injury Management

Giddey addressed concerns about his hand injury that hampered his play during the latter part of the season. While acknowledging the need for rest, he expressed confidence in being fully recovered by the start of next season.

"That'll definitely not be an issue by the start of the season," Giddey assured.

"The only thing that hurts it is playing basketball. So it's just about managing it."

His recovery plan involves giving the injury proper time to heal during the early weeks of the offseason.

"I think the start of the summer is probably the perfect time to give it some time to rest," he explained.

"It'll be a couple of weeks maybe, and then I'll kind of just gauge where it's at from there, where the pain's at. If it's going, then I'll get straight back into working out."

This approach aligns with his overall summer timeline, as Giddey plans to take slightly longer than his usual one-week break before resuming training.

"Usually I start my summers within a week. I take a week off and get straight back to it, but just with this injury, I'll probably take two or three weeks to let it calm down," he noted.

Defensive Development

From his arrival in Chicago, Giddey identified defensive improvement as a key personal goal. He believes he made significant strides in that area as the season progressed.

"I think from the start to where we are now, I think I've taken a leap in that area," Giddey assessed. "It's always been an area of emphasis for me that I wanted to improve on."

He pinpointed a game against Cleveland as a turning point in his defensive mentality.

"I still remember the Cleveland game we had in Cleveland the first time and how upset I was after that game, the effort I put in that side of the ball," he recalled.

"From that point on I tried to make an emphasis that nothing like that was gonna happen again."

While acknowledging his limitations ("I'm never gonna be an elite lockdown defender"), Giddey stressed the importance of consistent effort.

"It's just about effort and trying and wanting to do it on that side of the ball," he explained.

"It's not gonna be perfect, you're gonna get blown by, you're gonna miss block outs, rotations, but it's a matter of effort and wanting to do it every possession down the floor."

This defensive focus contributed to the Bulls' improved team performance in the season's second half. "I thought our defense, not just mine, but as a team, we really picked it up the back half of the year, and a lot of it was just will and wanting to do it," Giddey said.

Championship Aspirations

Despite the team's improvement, Giddey acknowledged that his primary goal — winning at the highest level — remains unfulfilled.

"As a player, winning is the pinnacle of this sport," he stated firmly.

"I haven't won anything. That's what you get paid to do; teams pay players to win games."

He stressed the importance of consistency, particularly for key rotation players.

"A lot of that responsibility is on the starters, the guys that play big minutes," Giddey said.

"It's both sides of the ball. It's gotta be done every night. It can't be a pick and choose possession thing when you wanna do it when you don't."

Having experienced both extremes of the NBA standings during his young career, Giddey remains optimistic about the Bulls' future while recognising the process required to become a championship contender.

"I've been on both sides of the spectrum where I've been the team with the worst record in the league, obviously with the Thunder with the best record in the league, and now we're kind of somewhere back in that middle ground," he reflected.

"The feeling of missing [the playoffs] obviously hurts. Every player wants to get there, you want to aspire for a championship every year, but at the same time you've got to understand you can't skip steps in that process," Giddey explained.

"Clearly we weren't at the level of winning the championship this year. We showed on nights that we can compete with championship level teams, but it's just a matter of being consistent doing that over the course of 82 games."

Off-Season Plans

Following the season's conclusion, Giddey's immediate plans involve returning to Australia. "I'm going home tonight (he has since returned to Melbourne), back to Australia," he said, outlining his summer schedule. "I'll try to get some rest for a little bit."

After allowing his hand injury to heal, Giddey plans to continue his training regimen in Los Angeles.

"I'll head to LA in the middle of May. I'll be out there for a while, and that's pretty much where I'll base myself for a lot of the summer," he explained.

"It'll be back and forth between Melbourne and LA."