Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Tiago Splitter has been hired to lead the Bulls through a rebuild focused on developing its young talent.
- His track record shows a clear ability to elevate players, with Deni Avdija increasing his scoring by nearly eight points per game last season.
- That bodes will for Josh Giddey and his future development in Chicago.
The fan base of the Chicago Bulls can finally take a breath as they have finally hired a new head coach. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, they have settled on former Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter. Not only can Bulls faithful finally not worry about the direction of the team, but young playmaker Josh Giddey can finally feel completely optimistic about his future in Chicago.
Let's be clear, the Bulls could have gone several directions instead of hiring Splitter. However, hiring the 41-year-old former NBA center paints a pretty clear direction for the franchise. The Bulls are gearing up for a rebuild, and Giddey is now a central part of it thanks to the Splitter hire.
Splitter took over a rather difficult situation in Portland when then head coach, Chauncey Billups was arrested due to connections to sports gambling. The Trail Blazers were in the middle of a rebuild and were trying to start to win. Not only did they have a winning record under Splitter, but they also made the playoffs.
Tiago Splitter has proven he can build culture and develop talent
More importantly, Splitter's ability for player development might be the key to Giddey's staying power in Chicago. Let's be clear: Deni Avdija was already an ascendent young player before Splitter took over in Portland last season; however, he had a career year under the new Bulls head coach and was named an All-Star.
Last season, Avdija averaged 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists as the Blazers' point forward. The prior season, the Israeli forward averaged 16.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.
While Giddey and Avdija have some major differences in their games, they are both taller playmakers, and in that respect, Splitter should help Giddey reach the next level of his development.
Last year, Giddey averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 9.1 assists. If Giddey can see a roughly seven-to-eight-point increase in scoring as Avdija did under Splitter, then the Bulls will have an All-Star on their team, if not an All-NBA level player as well. It also helps that Giddey is on a pretty good contract as well and is younger than Avdija, so Splitter will have even more time to develop him.
Building off the idea of the player development aspect of this, Giddey should be excited about how Splitter will develop his current and future teammates. Remembering that Giddey came from the Oklahoma City Thunder, a winning organization, the quicker the Bulls can turn things around, the better. Developing not just Giddey himself, but the other young talent is important.
Young players Donavon Clingan, Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, and Scoot Henderson showed either growth or consistency under Splitter this past season in Portland. One could theorize that Splitter would have a similar effect on the Bulls' young core, including the four picks the Bulls have in this upcoming draft. Giddey and Chicago fans alike should imagine if guys like Patrick Williams and Rob Dillingham end up living up to their draft stocks under Splitter.
Other young players like Matas Buzelis, Noa Essengue, and Leonard Miller could certainly see growth under Splitter as well. Even if the Bulls bring in veterans on bad contracts, Splitter proved with veterans like Jrue Holiday and Jerami Grant that he's able to have them have above-expectation seasons in terms of production.
Giddey and Chicago Bulls fans should be excited about the hire of Tiago Splitter. Not only due to the potential impact Splitter will have on Giddey's development, but also his impact on the other young players and potential veterans.
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