Josh Giddey sees a Bulls roster with more ways to punish defenses, and Norman Powell is a big reason why.
Chicago brought in Powell during free agency after his All-Star season, adding another established scorer to a team that has changed a lot this offseason. Giddey thinks that move should pay off for him directly, because Powell’s shooting and scoring should force defenses to spread their attention.
“I think for me specifically, I think he’s going to help me a lot,” Giddey told DJ Siddiqi of RG.org. “He’s going to take a lot of attention off me. He has a lot of gravity, obviously, with the way he shoots and scores the ball.”
That kind of spacing is exactly what matters for Giddey, whose game is built around creation. With another player on the floor who has to be accounted for every trip down, he should have more room to work.
Powell also gives Chicago some real pedigree. Giddey pointed to the fact that he’s an NBA champion and is coming off the best season of his career when talking about what he brings to the mix.
Giddey didn’t stop there. He also singled out third-year forward Matas Buzelis, saying he expects a major leap and calling him “one of the harder working kids I’ve seen.” In Giddey’s view, this is a season where Buzelis can take on a bigger role.
Chicago’s offseason has been busy beyond Powell, too. The Bulls added lottery picks Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain and traded for Nic Claxton.
Put it all together, and Giddey doesn’t sound like he’s looking at the same old Bulls. He thinks this group has enough to make a run at the playoffs.
“We’ve got more than enough to be competitive in this league,” he said.
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But flexibility cuts both ways, and that is what makes Claxton such a fascinating piece of this puzzle. If he performs like a dependable starting center, the Bulls can talk about keeping him around longer. If the fit is merely solid and the team keeps looking ahead for bigger swings in the draft, he also becomes the kind of movable asset contenders covet. For Chicago, the next stretch is about more than just Claxtons production. It is about deciding whether he is the answer, or the bridge to the next one. [Read more 🡒]
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Bulls Rookie Guards Could Force A Bigger Rotation Debate
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Swain projects as a reserve option who can grow into a steadier role over time, while Sellers brings a different kind of intrigue as a potential scoring spark if he earns meaningful minutes. Chicago does not need either rookie to carry a heavy load right away, but the kind of early progress they show could determine whether the Bulls keep things tight or start pushing for a larger, more flexible guard rotation. [Read more 🡒]