Josh Giddey believes a “change of scenery” will be the perfect tonic to unlock his “full potential” as he opened up on the conversations that led to his exit from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaking to the media for the first time as a Chicago Bulls player, Giddey acknowledged he had come off a “tough year” with the Thunder, especially given the way his first playoffs campaign fizzled out.
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With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams emerging as the two leading guards, it placed Giddey into an awkward role that exposed his defensive weaknesses.
The Australian was eventually relegated to the bench for the final two games of the playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, prompting him to have an honest conversation with Thunder GM Sam Presti about what came next.
When Presti conceded Giddey would have a diminished role in his fourth season, the 21-year-old knew he needed to move on.
“I was playing a lot more off-ball and kind of in a different role to what I’ve ever done in my career,” Giddey said.
“So there was no secret that it was going to take some flexibility on my part to fit in with the team that we had and the structure that we had and the type of players that we had.
“He (Presti) spoke to me about looking at potentially different roles, coming off the bench, running the second unit, things like that.
“And I just said to him, at this point in my career, I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something that I was overly eager to do. And he completely understood.
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“Throughout the whole process, we were open and honest with each other. And I said to him, ‘Look, coming off the bench at this point in my career is not something I’m trying to do and take a reserve role.’ He got it.
“We worked together through the whole process and he got me to a great spot. I’m very, very excited to be here in Chicago.”
With the high level of competition among the guards in Oklahoma City preventing Giddey from playing to his strengths, he’s already looking forward to showcasing his best attributes in Chicago.
“It was going to be hard to tap into my full potential, in my opinion, with a team like that (Oklahoma City) with so many talented guys who needed the ball in their hands,” Giddey said.
“A change of scenery was probably going to unlock that for me.
“Making the game easier on everybody, being able to get guys involved, distribute the ball, make guys around me confident is what I pride myself to doing.
“It’s hard to do that when the ball is not in your hands a lot and you are screening and doing different things.
“For me, that’s the big thing coming here. I want to be the pass first point guard that I am and help teammates generate easy looks and get them feeling good right from the get go.”
The playoff series against the Mavericks also exposed some of Giddey’s biggest offensive and defensive shortcomings.
Dallas often designed their defensive set ups to allow Giddey several open looks because his shooting from range was not at the level of his teammates and targeted the Aussie when the Thunder needed to defend.
The series proved to be a steep learning curve for Giddey on what’s required to take his game to the next level.
But the Aussie knows that facing the challenges so early in his career can only be a good thing as he further enhances his game.
“It was probably a blessing in disguise for me,” Giddey said.
“It taught me what I need to work on and how I need to get better.
“Obviously, shooting is a big one. But also the defensive end is something that I think coming into this off-season I switched my mentality.
“I just realised that to be at the highest level you’ve got to compete at that end. You’ve got to be able to sit down and guard guys. That’s a side of the ball that I want to take pride in.
“I think the offence will come naturally. But it’s that side of the ball that I want to take steps forward in to make sure when playoff time comes around I’m ready to go on both sides of the ball and not just one.”