Bulls Guard Josh Giddey Takes Step Towards Return, Still Has Some Work to Do
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey took a significant step towards returning to the lineup on Sunday, as he practiced with the G League's Windy City Bulls for the first time since straining his left hamstring. The session marked five-on-five work for Giddey, who had been sidelined for 10 consecutive games.
Coach Billy Donovan reported that everything went smoothly for Giddey during practice, and the guard did some extra work afterwards. However, the coach emphasized that the team will need to see more from Giddey before declaring him ready to return to the court.
"We'll see how he responds, but I didn't get anything that there were any setbacks or any problems," Donovan said. "That was a good sign." The Bulls still hope to have Giddey back in action this week, with games against the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Celtics on their schedule.
However, the key to Giddey's return will be his confidence in avoiding another hamstring injury similar to one suffered by teammate Coby White. Donovan noted that Giddey's medical team would want to see him perform in multiple situations before giving him clearance to play.
Giddey, who was averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game before his injury, had been making a strong case for his first All-Star appearance. Now, he has the opportunity to return to action and help the Bulls in their pursuit of victory.
On the other side of the court, forward Patrick Williams missed the game against the Nets after leaving with a sprained right ankle. Donovan reported that Williams was receiving treatment on Sunday but didn't recover quickly enough to be active. The coach mentioned that he doesn't think the injury will be long-term, but Williams is still feeling sore.
The Bulls' struggles in defensive rebounding have also been highlighted by the team's poor performance in this area. Coach Donovan has emphasized the need for increased hand activity and deflections during pick-and-roll coverage or screening actions.
"We try to work on it," Donovan said. "When you're doing pick-and-roll coverage or you're doing screening actions, two guys are in a pick-and-roll, so let's try to get that hand activity. You're hoping that a guy can get a piece or deflect the pass."
Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey took a significant step towards returning to the lineup on Sunday, as he practiced with the G League's Windy City Bulls for the first time since straining his left hamstring. The session marked five-on-five work for Giddey, who had been sidelined for 10 consecutive games.
Coach Billy Donovan reported that everything went smoothly for Giddey during practice, and the guard did some extra work afterwards. However, the coach emphasized that the team will need to see more from Giddey before declaring him ready to return to the court.
"We'll see how he responds, but I didn't get anything that there were any setbacks or any problems," Donovan said. "That was a good sign." The Bulls still hope to have Giddey back in action this week, with games against the Clippers, Timberwolves, and Celtics on their schedule.
However, the key to Giddey's return will be his confidence in avoiding another hamstring injury similar to one suffered by teammate Coby White. Donovan noted that Giddey's medical team would want to see him perform in multiple situations before giving him clearance to play.
Giddey, who was averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game before his injury, had been making a strong case for his first All-Star appearance. Now, he has the opportunity to return to action and help the Bulls in their pursuit of victory.
On the other side of the court, forward Patrick Williams missed the game against the Nets after leaving with a sprained right ankle. Donovan reported that Williams was receiving treatment on Sunday but didn't recover quickly enough to be active. The coach mentioned that he doesn't think the injury will be long-term, but Williams is still feeling sore.
The Bulls' struggles in defensive rebounding have also been highlighted by the team's poor performance in this area. Coach Donovan has emphasized the need for increased hand activity and deflections during pick-and-roll coverage or screening actions.
"We try to work on it," Donovan said. "When you're doing pick-and-roll coverage or you're doing screening actions, two guys are in a pick-and-roll, so let's try to get that hand activity. You're hoping that a guy can get a piece or deflect the pass."
So I'm watching this Josh Giddey comeback story and it's like, on one hand you gotta feel for the dude, he's been out for 10 games and he's already making progress. But at the same time, 5-on-5 practice isn't exactly the same as a real game, right? I mean, how much does this really prepare him for the intensity of an NBA game?
It's like, one minute he's out there, the next minute he's on the bench with a sprained ankle. That's just frustrating to watch. And the Bulls' defense has been getting destroyed lately... it's like they're playing with one hand tied behind their back.
is a good sign, but coach Donovan's warning about needing to see more work from him before he's cleared to play shows that recovery won't be a cakewalk 
. The Bulls need Giddey's confidence in avoiding another hamstring injury or it could derail their playoff hopes 
. Meanwhile, Patrick Williams' sprained ankle is a minor bump in the road, but the team can't afford any more setbacks 
. Increased hand activity and deflections during pick-and-roll coverage are key to improving their defense, so let's hope they can crack the code 
. The Bulls still have a tough schedule ahead of them, but with Giddey returning, they might just have a shot at making some noise in the playoffs 
.
. Can't afford another injury like Coby White's, especially when he was looking good for an All-Star spot. Need him to show some confidence in avoiding that kind of setback...
I'm just worried about his hammy issues tho, don't wanna see him go down again 
Josh Giddey finally took some steps towards getting back on the court and I'm so hyped! 
like Coby White had. Coach Donovan seems confident in Giddey's progress, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for his return to action this week! #JoshGiddey #BullsNation #ComebackKid
. coach donovan seems pretty optimistic about his return, which is awesome 
. It's like when I'm trying to finish a difficult project at work - you can't just rush through it, you need to double-check everything 
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Get those hands up and deflect those passes! Coach Donovan's been stressing the importance of increased hand activity, but I think we all know that's an easy fix 
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. Bring it on, Bulls! 
. He needs to do some more rehab work before we can see him on the court 
he's been gone for a bit and we all wanna see him back on the court, but coach donovan's right, gotta see some consistency from him first 
and patrick williams' ankle injury, fingers crossed it's not too long-term 
the bulls need him back ASAP 
Still, I'm excited for Josh to get back out there and show off his skills 
️. Can't wait to see how it all plays out! 
guess i'm a bit late to the party... but anyway, i think its good that josh giddey is taking steps towards returning, idk how scary it must be for him to get hurt and now he has to work on building his confidence again 
. Can't say I'm surprised though, NBA players are notoriously prone to getting hurt.
. And don't even get me started on the Bulls' defensive rebounding issues - it's like they're just giving teams freebies on the glass 
. But, gotta be real, confidence is key here... we don't want him to go down again 
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. The Bulls need him to bounce back quickly because their defensive rebounding game has been kinda weak lately 
. Coach Donovan's got some good points about increasing hand activity and deflections, but I think they just need to work on it in practice and get those big men communicating 
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