The Bulls’ first four games have been a rough introduction to the 2026-27 season, and Josh Giddey knows the spotlight is on him.
Chicago is off to a 1-3 start, and the damage has already piled up in a hurry. The Bulls have two losses by 35 points or more, including a 134-99 defeat in Boston that turned into a third-quarter avalanche for the Celtics. Through the opening week, Chicago’s -18.3 net rating sits at the bottom of the NBA.
Outside of Caleb Wilson, the roster has mostly been searching for traction. That has raised the obvious question around a team in transition: how long does it take before this group starts looking functional, and how much more shuffling might front office leader Bryson Graham decide is needed if it never happens?
For now, the biggest pressure lands on Giddey. As the lead guard, he’s expected to carry a major chunk of the offense, but the early returns have been shaky.
He’s averaging 7.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists through four games while shooting 33.3 percent from the field. His trips to the free throw line have dropped sharply, Tiago Splitter has not played him more than 30 minutes in a game, and Giddey was even on the bench late in Chicago’s lone win over the Bucks.
The start has only sharpened the concerns that followed the Bulls into the season. His fit with the team’s two young wings was already a question, especially with the limited shooting around them and the absence of proven defenders who could help paper over some of his weaknesses.
At the same time, four games is still a tiny sample. Chicago was not coming into this season as a finished product, and the organization has made it clear this is a build-from-the-ground-up situation.
Giddey addressed the early struggles after practice on Tuesday, and he did not duck responsibility for the offense’s slow opening. He also made clear that the biggest adjustment right now has less to do with the scheme and more to do with the people around him.
"I'd say it's less system-wise and more personnel. Getting adjusted to different players," Giddey said after practice.
"A lot of these guys, we're all new together, so that's going to take some time. My job is to try to make everybody around me better, and I don't think I'm doing nearly as good a job as I should be at that.
I've got to understand when to be aggressive. I think sometimes I'm too passive ... we'll figure it out as a team.
Everyone has to do a better job of offensively getting into things quicker."
That lines up with how Splitter is trying to use him. On paper, the fit makes sense: a pace-pushing offense, athletic wings running the floor, and a point guard tasked with connecting everything. Splitter acknowledged that he’s still figuring out how to best put the starters in position to succeed, and he pointed to the lack of other ball-handlers as part of the burden falling on Giddey.
Giddey’s game has always leaned toward passing first, so the role itself is not the issue. The challenge is blending that instinct with enough scoring threat to force defenses to react.
If opponents have to worry about his shot-creation, the rest of the floor opens up. Right now, though, the exact timing and spots for that aggression are still being worked out.
"That's probably something I've got to work out. Being inefficient like I have been doesn't help," Giddey said.
"Like, I made a conscious effort to get off the ball and get guys looks. I've never really been one to press when I feel like I haven't been scoring.
I never want to go out there and just kind of make something happen for myself. Letting the game come to you, not going out there and pre-determining what you want to do is the best way to go about it."
None of that guarantees a quick fix, especially with a difficult schedule waiting ahead. But Giddey’s comments make one thing clear: this is still the early part of a season that was always going to be messy, and the Bulls are still trying to learn how to play together.
"That stuff will come naturally," Giddey said. "I'm not sitting here saying it's going well.
I've got to figure it out. I've got to do a better job of helping other guys on our team figure it out, too.
That's the role of a point guard."
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