Postseason basketball always exposes warts. Players can be in the midst of a career year, but the oppositions attention to detail shifts when they have days to prepare for a win-or-go-home scenario. Josh Giddey is the last victim of exposed warts.
When Giddey was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Alex Caruso, many chastised the Bulls for not getting any draft capital from the loaded Oklahoma City Thunder. Giddey was viewed as a negative asset who couldn't be a difference-maker in the playoffs because of his need to have the ball to contribute, clanking jump shot, and inability to put pressure on the rim.
Caruso's not an offensive juggernaut, but he's consistently one of the premier defenders in the league. He doesn't need the ball to contribute positively on offense. This was evident in the Bubble with the dashing fastbreaks he and LeBron James went on in their run to the 2020 championship.
It seemed like Giddey was flipping that narrative on its head with his 2025 regular season. The passing and rebounding as a Goliath point guard were staples in his game, but the uptick in scoring and 37 percent from 3-point range on four attempts in a game seemed to be game-changers.
Giddey particularly carved up the Miami Heat, averaging a triple-double versus them in the regular season. The Heat put that fire out in another postseason disaster for Giddey.
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OKC still won the trade in the short run, and now Josh Giddey's contract is Chicago's situation
Give Erik Spoelstra time to cook, and you'll get a five-star meal every time. In the 9-10 East Play-in game, Giddey's counting stats weren't an abomination, but the Heat allowed him to shoot from deep repeatedly. They would stunt and offer slight resistance, but the goal was to allow Giddey to feel comfortable enough to shoot shots Miami didn't think he could consistently make.
Giddey was 2-7 from deep. Tyler Herro basically dares him to shoot it here. Building around a point guard who doesn't command respect from defenses as a shooter or driver is difficult.
While Giddey became a triple-double machine in the second half of the season, the finishing at the rim still needed work. Giddey shot 58 percent at the rim this season among point guards, which ranked in the 31st percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. That will forever be an issue if he can't finish better, considering his 6-foot-8 frame.
The ability to finish at the cup opens up the game for a point guard's team. When you drive, and teams know you cannot finish or you'll likely look to pass, they will not collapse to stop you, freeing your teammates up for easier shots. In pivotal moments, like the play-in and playoffs, that flaw in Giddey's game gets under a microscope. The fact that he can't thrive as an off-ball threat exasperates this issue.
Caruso doesn't need the ball to be a threat, and offense isn't the main value he brings to the table. We throw adjectives around to describe defenders, but I truly can't think of anything better than a menace to describe Caruso's defensive approach.
He suffocates guards, forces wings to pick up their dribble, and will make bigs second guess bringing the ball down while Caruso guards them in the post. This value has shown up in advanced box scores for years. Caruso's actual Defensive Plus-Minus was No. 1 this season. It's a shame he doesn't qualify for an All-Defensive nod due to the rule change, but he's one of the hard-hat guys who led OKC to the best defense this season.
Caruso signed a four-year, $81million contract extension in December. It warms my heart to see scrappy defenders get paid that type of salary. Giddey, on the other hand, will demand more because of his stat-stuffing ways. His warts intensify in do-or-die moments, but he's only 22, and 15 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists are something to build on. Giddey's a big what-if player, but he took steps to correct his jump shot.
It faded in the play-in game, but for 70 games, Giddey was a passable shooter. That upward trajectory could continue. The rim finishing has to tighten up, but regardless, Giddey will get paid. The Thunder don't have to rack their brains on whether or not the shooting and finishing will come around for a talented but flawed guard. That situation sits in the Bulls' lap now.