ATLANTA — Bulls guard Josh Giddey isn’t much into Hollywood endings, but even he thought the pitch for the script sounded ‘‘pretty cool.’’
An Australian basketball star travels to the United States, gets selected No. 6 overall in the NBA Draft, falls out of favor after three seasons with his original team, then gets traded and finds a new home in Chicago.
And the classic Hollywood ending? He ends up becoming an All-Star.
That’s where the script remains unfinished. At least for now.
‘‘When you put it like that, it does sound pretty cool,’’ Giddey said with a smirk. ‘‘You know, I always believed I had the talent and ability to be at that level. I guess it took a new situation to fully unlock who I am as a player. I give a lot of credit to teammates and coaches to put me in position to be successful.’’
Successful is one thing. Giddey has checked that box so far this season. But an All-Star-level player? Don’t discount it.
All Giddey did in the Bulls’ come-from-behind victory Tuesday in Atlanta was notch his seventh triple-double of the season with 19 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds. In 27 games this season, he’s averaging 20 points, 9.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists.
The NBA is unveiling a new format for the All-Star Game this season. The game still will feature 24 players, but there will be two U.S. teams and one World team with eight players each. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama are shoo-ins for the World team. The last three spots is where it gets interesting, with Alperen Sengun, Lauri Markkanen and Giddey the likely leaders heading into January.
Bulls head coach Billy Donovan was clear about where he puts Giddey.
‘‘I think if you look at his body of work and what he’s meant to our team, how well he has played and how that’s impacted our team, I don’t think there’s any reason he shouldn’t be considered for the All-Star team,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘He’s put himself in that position.
‘‘Now, our record [14-15] and where we’re at [in the standings], there may be some people that [think] winning maybe has a higher priority as they vote. But if you look at the impact he’s had on our team from the start of the season until now, there’s no question he should be in strong consideration for that, in my opinion.’’
Giddey has an opinion, too. And while he stressed that winning games between now and selection time is a priority, he didn’t pretend he hasn’t thought about what an All-Star appearance would mean to him.
‘‘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.’’
Not bad for a guy who was being pulled from the Thunder’s starting lineup at the end of the 2023-24 season and from games altogether in the playoffs. He described that as his ‘‘rock bottom.’’
‘‘It can take hitting rock bottom, especially for me in my NBA career, because it can go away like that,’’ Giddey said, reflecting on his trade from the Thunder to the Bulls after that season. ‘‘You get traded once, you get traded twice, then you start bouncing around the league. I never wanted to be that. I wanted to find a home for a long time, and I’m starting to feel like this is where it’s at.’’
