WATCH: Josh Giddey stuffs stat sheet, drops dimes against Team USA originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Bulls‘ new point guard Josh Giddey is competing for Team Australia in the Paris Olympics this summer. In preparation, his team competed against Team USA in an exhibition match in Abu Dhabi recently.
Australia made a valiant, late-game comeback against the United States. And Giddey stuffed the stat sheet, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.
He also dropped myriad dimes to his players, including two incredible inbounds passes in the final seconds of the game. Ultimately, they fell short, 98-92.
Giddey joined the Bulls after they traded Alex Caruso to the Thunder in a straight-up, player-for-player trade. Giddey, 21, has played with the Thunder for three years and was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
In his opening press conference with the team, he admitted he hadn’t spoken with the coaches about his role. Remember, the Bulls still have point guard Lonzo Ball and guards Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu crowding the backcourt.
But when asked about what he envisions his role to be, he didn’t shy away from a true point guard answer.
“My job is just to make the game easy for everybody else. Come in and make sure guys are getting easy looks, guys are comfortable on the floor,” he said. “When you’re a point guard and you can get other people around you going and making them involved in the game and getting them feeling good early, it opens the game up for everybody. That’s how I see myself, making basketball easy for my teammates around me.”
NBC Sports Chicago
