The Bulls are starting to look like a team that’s finally turning the corner - and it’s not just the wins piling up, it’s how they’re winning. After closing out the final 20 games of the 2024-25 regular season on a 15-5 tear, Chicago has now rattled off four straight victories, and at the heart of it all are two names Bulls fans are thrilled to see clicking again: Coby White and Josh Giddey.
The chemistry between White and Giddey was a big part of last season’s late push, but this year, injuries - particularly White’s calf issues - have kept the backcourt tandem from logging consistent minutes together. That’s finally starting to change, and the early returns are promising.
White, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s matchup in Atlanta, sounded confident about the duo rediscovering their rhythm. Head coach Billy Donovan echoed that sentiment, noting the importance of both players not just finding their individual grooves, but syncing up together.
“I think it would definitely help us,” Donovan said. “The hard part has been Coby just trying to get back and find a rhythm with him being out.
So with him being out, he and Josh also finding a rhythm. But I think last year, they coexisted very well.
They have a very good relationship, they talk and they communicate.”
That connection was on full display in the Bulls’ comeback win over the Hawks. White dropped a team-high 24 points to go with four assists and three steals, while Giddey posted a monster triple-double - 19 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds. It wasn’t just stat-padding; it was winning basketball.
Giddey’s play this season has been nothing short of All-Star caliber. Through 27 games, he’s averaging career highs across the board: 20.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game, while shooting a personal-best 40.2% from beyond the arc. He’s also racked up seven triple-doubles - second only to Nikola Jokic’s 14 - and while he’s not one to chase accolades, he’s not shy about what an All-Star nod would mean.
“Every player wants to be an All-Star - all those things when they first get drafted, get into the league - and I’m no different,” Giddey said. “Everyone has individual aspirations.
They’re lying if they say they don’t, but it’s about not letting it get in the way of the team. I want to be an All-Star; everybody inside [the locker room] wants to be an All-Star.
But you’ve got to be able to do that inside the team and win games while trying to do individual things, as well. Winning solves everything, and all the individual stuff comes after that.”
That team-first mindset is resonating throughout the locker room. After battling through early-season struggles - including a seven-game losing streak - the Bulls are finally healthy (with the exception of rookie Noa Essengue, who’s out for the season following shoulder surgery), and the group is showing signs of cohesion and resilience.
Ayo Dosunmu, who’s become a steadying presence in the rotation, summed it up after Tuesday’s win: “This has been about continuing to stay together, continuing to get better. We understood that (the losing streak) was not the best basketball that we were playing, but we all knew what we were capable of.
We put it together and have been playing a great stretch of basketball. Now we’ve got to just keep doing it.”
For now, the Bulls are doing just that. They’ve rediscovered their identity - a mix of unselfish playmaking, gritty defense, and a backcourt that’s starting to hum again. If White and Giddey can stay healthy and continue to build on this momentum, Chicago might just be the team nobody wants to see down the stretch.