December 08, 2024

Previewing Sixers-Bulls: What challenges will Chicago present?

Learning more about the Sixers' Sunday afternoon adversaries.

By Adam Aaronson
PhillyVoice Staff

The Sixers are back in action on Sunday afternoon, taking on a Chicago Bulls team that has bought into a fast-paced style amid a youth movement in the Windy City.

Here to get us up to speed ahead of this game is my friend and tortured Bulls fan Ricky O'Donnell, who covers basketball as a writer and editor for SB Nation. Ricky is as good as it gets on the Bulls -- let's talk to him:

Adam Aaronson: The Bulls were lambasted all offseason after trading Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City for Josh Giddey in a one-for-one swap -- a deal you were not exactly excited about. What have you made of Giddey's first year in Chicago so far, and has it impacted your perspective of the trade at all?

Ricky O’Donnell: When I handed out instant grades for the deal at SB Nation, I gave the Thunder an A+ and the Bulls an F. My expectations were obviously very low coming into the season, but I think Giddey has somehow still underwhelmed.

I thought Giddey would still be able to put up numbers despite how his limitations hold him back in high-leverage situations. Instead, his numbers have been middling (11.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game) and the Bulls have been getting crushed with him on the floor. The Bulls have a positive net rating with Giddey on the bench. When he’s in the game, they’re getting outscored by 5.39 points per 100 possessions.

Giddey’s athletic limitations really hold him back. He has no explosion going to the basket, and it’s so easy to blow by him defensively. I’ve also been really disappointed with his motor: he’s so slow to loose balls and often seems to give up on plays. After a hot start from three, he’s now only making 34 percent, and of course basically all of those attempts come with him completely unguarded. The only silver lining to his struggles is that maybe the Bulls won’t give him a big contract in free agency. As the Bulls start to prioritize the tank (hopefully) moving forward, playing Giddey more minutes is the best way to achieve it.

MORE: Led by Paul George + KJ Martin, Sixers beat Magic

AA: One of the more heartwarming NBA stories of 2024-25 has been the return of Bulls guard Lonzo Ball, who is back on the floor for the first time since January 2022. How has Ball looked in his limited action, and is there hope that he could once again become a quality rotation regular for the Bulls?

RO: Ball has looked awesome. He’s still such an impactful player when he’s on the floor, and it’s remarkable how his game can still translate after more than 1,000 days on the injury shelf.

Ball is still capable of defending at a high level against a variety of assignments. Even if he’s lost half a step athletically, his feel for the game is as strong as ever. He’s so good at knowing when to gamble to force a takeaway, and it feels like he can get a steal or block whenever the player he’s guarding has the ball exposed. His transition passing is also all the way back, and I think his shot looks better than the early percentages indicate. I would really love to see Ball on a contender this year, because he still has the ultimate role player skill set for the modern game. Unfortunately a wrist injury slowed his momentum some this season, but the Bulls just look like a better team when Ball is on the floor, and I expect that to continue.

AA: For Sixers fans who cannot watch Bulls basketball on a regular basis, who is one player they may not know a ton about but should keep a close eye on in this one?

RO: This has been such a bizarre Bulls season. Nikola Vučević has gone from one of the worst high-volume shooters in the league a year ago to a legitimate stretch five who can’t miss (he’s nearly shooting 47 percent from three with 69 percent true shooting). Zach LaVine looks all the way back from his injury last year and is again establishing himself as one of the league’s most efficient high-volume scorers. These guys are ultimately immaterial to the Bulls as they prepare to trade them and tank, so the only real reason to watch the team is Matas Buzelis.

The No. 11 pick in last June's draft has looked really promising in limited minutes. His shot looks so much better than it did with the G League Ignite thus far (27 percent with the Ignite, 38 percent with the Bulls), but that’s only a small part of what he brings. He’s currently blocking shots at the same rate as a big man. He looks totally fearless attacking off the bounce even if he’s not strong enough to finish through contact yet. He also just seems to have a keen sense of spatial awareness that helps his rotations defensively and his ability to cut into open space on offense. Buzelis is still pretty raw, but Bulls fans have to be encouraged by what they’ve seen.

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