There’s an air of excitement surrounding the Chicago Bulls this upcoming season.
The Bulls will open the 2026-27 campaign on October 21 against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Canada.
They might not be playoff contenders just yet, but Josh Giddey is feeling pretty confident and excited about the team.
Josh Giddey’s Confident Message
Speaking to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Josh Giddey expressed his excitement about playing with athletic, above-the-rim players for the first time in his career.
Giddey feels confident that anytime he throws a lob next season, it’ll be caught and finished with ease.
“I feel like I can throw pretty much every pass, and lobs are just one that I’ve never really had to throw a lot in my career,” Giddey said.
“Whether it’s wings or our fives, we’ve got guys that can catch lobs all around,” he added. “I’ve got to get better at throwing them, but I think it’s going to be good to have guys that I can kind of put it anywhere around the cylinder and they’ll go take care of the rest.”
The 24-year-old Australian star is alluding to fellow young players like Matas Buzelis and Caleb Wilson, who will be the starting forwards. Nic Claxton is also capable of catching lobs at center, so it’s going to be a pretty fun season in Chicago.
Giddey has been working with his new teammates, Wilson and Claxton, this offseason. But his partnership with Claxton will have to wait since the big man is dealing with an injury and won’t be available on opening night.
Giddey Ranked 84th in Top 100 NBA Players List
In his second season in Chicago, Josh Giddey had a breakout campaign. He averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Giddey was on track to be an All-Star before getting hit with an injury to start the new calendar year. He ended up playing just 54 games as the Bulls stumbled with a 31-51 record.
Following his career campaign, The Ringer has named Giddey as the 84th-best player in the NBA. The narrative surrounding him is whether he’s capable of being a winning player or not.
“The Bulls’ present and future belong to Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis, so this entire season is an opportunity to see who and what makes sense around them,” The Ringer wrote. “Will Giddey accentuate Chicago’s two most important players? … Even though he tied Jalen Johnson for the second-most triple-doubles last season, Giddey’s winning impact wasn’t there.”
While there’s no pressure on Chicago to win this season, it’s a test for Giddey and how he’d fare with better players around him.
Chicago Bulls Guard Josh Giddey Sends Confident Message Ahead of New Season