Guard Josh Giddey is getting attacked defensively.
On a team full of suspect defenders, Giddey is the Bull opponents are singling out, and they’re having success. His lack of lateral quickness makes it easier for guards to blow past him. It’s common for a skilled guard to get targeted, but Giddey has to fight back at a certain point. The team and Giddey, who is keenly self-aware, know that.
“We’ve got to get better at being able to do multiple things, and we’ve got to help him find solutions,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Then the other part of it, too, is he’s got to execute. We’ve got to be able to execute the things that we’re in.”
Entering the game against the Rockets on Sunday, the Bulls had a 120 defensive rating with Giddey on the court, which would rank last in the NBA. Conversely, the Bulls had a 107.3 defensive rating with Giddey off the court, which would rank among the best.
“There are going to be times in the game where there’s a guy against a player in space, and there’s an individual-pride component that comes into really having to sit down and guard the ball with the level of discipline,” Donovan said.
The Bulls have gone through this before with guard Coby White. The Rockets had to deal with guard Jalen Green’s defensive shortcomings. It’s almost a rite of passage for young players to learn how to survive defensively. Understanding game plans, positioning and opponent tendencies are ways that Giddey can improve. He’s never going to be a difference-maker defensively, but if he wants to close games, he’ll have to show more fight.
But half of playing defense is having a want-to attitude. Green is surrounded by better defenders than Giddey is, but he also has shown incremental improvement by tapping into his athleticism and being more engaged. Rockets coach Ime Udoka said he has seen improvement in Green’s recognition on defense but also noted that his competitiveness has been crucial.
“We have three, four or five really good defenders out there,” Udoka said. “[Green] doesn’t want to be the weak link that teams are trying to target.”
Vucevic off to good start
Center Nikola Vucevic struggled with his shot last season, shooting a career-low 29% from three-point range. He has regained his touch this season. Entering the game, Vucevic was averaging 21 points.
Donovan praised Vucevic’s professionalism in taking care of his body, which is one reason for the bounce-back offensive performance. The other reason Donovan pinpointed is that the team’s high-octane style suits Vucevic. He’s shooting 44% on non-corner threes, according to Cleaning the Glass.
“The speed and pace at which we’ve been trying to play has helped him because he is such a great defensive rebounder,” Donovan said. “There are times when he’s coming down the floor, he’s in a lot of trail situations, and if our guards have flattened the floor out, and it gets thrown back to him, he’s been really good shooting it.”