The Chicago Bulls brought in Tiago Splitter with a clear idea in mind: maybe he could help Josh Giddey take the kind of jump Deni Avdija just made. But the 2026-27 season opener offered a blunt answer, and it wasn’t encouraging for that theory.
Giddey ran into a wall against the Toronto Raptors, with Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Kawhi Leonard all helping contain him. He finished with seven rebounds and six assists, but the scoring line told the real story: just two points on 1-of-10 shooting, plus five turnovers.
One game doesn’t define a player, but it did spotlight the gap between Giddey and Avdija. The two can look similar on paper because of their size and broad skill sets, but they don’t attack the game the same way. And that difference matters.
Giddey is capable of getting downhill. In 2025-26, he ranked No. 6 in the NBA with 20.6 drives per game, which is a strong number and proof that he can use his frame and feel to get into the paint.
But Avdija was operating on another level. He led the league at 27.8 drives per game.
The finishing also separates them. Avdija shot 53.3 percent on 7.9 field goal attempts off drives per game, while Giddey made 46.9 percent of his 6.3 attempts. Avdija also got to the line more, averaging 4.9 free throw attempts via drives compared with 2.6 for Giddey.
That’s the difference between a driver who powers through contact and one who leans more on craft. Avdija gets downhill with force and draws fouls. Giddey’s game is more finesse-based.
The advanced numbers back that up. Per Basketball Index, Avdija ranked in the 99th percentile in rim shot creation and the 78th percentile in foul drawn rate.
Giddey checked in at the 75th and 58th percentiles. Avdija also brings more resistance defensively, while Giddey has been more vulnerable there.
Avdija ranked in the 59th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, while Giddey was all the way down at the 16th percentile.
Splitter can certainly tweak how he uses Giddey, and there may be ways to squeeze more out of him. But the idea that he can simply be used the same way as Avdija runs into a hard truth: when defenses tighten, finesse alone doesn’t always crack them.
Avdija has a physical answer. Giddey hasn’t shown that kind of go-to solution yet.
That’s why the comparison has limits, and why the Bulls got a quick reminder that Avdija’s leap isn’t a template Giddey can just copy.
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Blazers Just Sent A Loud Opening Night Message To The NBA
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