The Fastbreak: Bulls updates as training camp nears, Buzelis’ sophomore season, Giddey’s big deal

The Fastbreak: Bulls updates as training camp nears, Buzelis’ sophomore season, Giddey’s big deal

Welcome in everybody to another edition of the fast break. I am Casey Johnson and yes, we are nearing Bulls training camp time where there always are storylines that abound. Here are four that are on my watch list as we get closer to media day next week. Number one, which Josh Giddy is going to show up this season? Obviously, this is a lead point guard who got paid this off season. He’s agreed to a 4-year hund00 million deal after that protracted, restricted free agency saga. And look, he’s got to come in camp in a good mood, right? I mean, he got paid. He’s going to have the keys to Billy Donovan’s fast-paced engine. Let’s see what he can do. So, which Josh Giddy is going to show up? the one that struggled to fit in at the start of last season and admittedly was deferring too much or the one who seized the Bulls by the horns, bad pun intended, after the Zack Lavine trade. Yes, let’s break down these numbers. 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists after the All-Star break. Those are insane averages. Also includes the little halfcourt buzzer beater that we all remember. Um, he also shot 45.7% from three-point range after the All-Star break. That is obviously a heater and that’s obviously also unsustainable. What is sustainable? His style of play. What we all saw from Josh Giddy the second half of the season was a much more aggressive player at both ends. Not only offensively, but defensively as well. He was much more physical. He fought over screens. He was better at the point of attack. He’s never going to be a locked down defender, but you have to give this guy a lot of credit after looking inward from that low point that we all remember early last season where he was targeted late in that Cleveland road loss and was really just very despondent after that game. And look, if we all remember, he wasn’t even in Billy Donovan’s closing lineup a lot of times last season at the start of the season. So, we obviously need to see if you’re a Bulls fan, a more aggressive Josh Giddy. And we saw that down the stretch. That style of play is sustainable at the offensive end, too. We also saw a player who was stopping shooting that floater. He was getting to the rim more. Uh much more physical going through contact, getting downhill. He ended up shooting a career 37.8% uh from three-point range last season. So even though that 45% is not sustainable, he can pick up where he left off last season from that three-point range. He also got to the line a career-high 3.2 per attempts per game. Now, that’s not an astounding number, but it’s certainly higher than what he averaged in his OKC days, which was in the high ones. And that’s a good sign. That’s what you want to see from a Josh Giddy is an aggressive one who’s not just stopping to shoot that floater, but really aggressively attacking the rim. And then obviously when you get down hill, you can kick it out to shooters as well. So, um, few teams can offer Josh Gad the role that he will have with the Bulls other than the Bulls and that’s why they paid him and are happy to have him back. So, it’s going to be an interesting uh start to the season for Josh Giddy and we’ll be tracking his progress. All right, another big story line going into training camp. Modis Buzzellis. He always seems to end up as one of the points in each edition of the fast break and that’s because the second year forward represents obviously the future. Can he take a jump this season? We obviously saw the close the strong close that he had to last season and he looked apart at summer league. He had a little bit more ball handling responsibilities out in Las Vegas. Um, he was employing that grabband go mentality that Billy Donovan is always imploring him to take, which is where he has the ability to grab the rebound and push the ball up court himself. And um, he obviously was obviously also in more in pick and roll situations in Las Vegas as well. While I don’t think that’s going to be a prominent part of Billy Donovan’s offensive attack, uh, Modis Mousellis did show some promise in that department. So, let’s see if he can also, you know, show some flashes in that category as well. But we all saw the jump. 49 reserve appearances early in the season, 31 starts in the second half of the season. His minutes jumped from 13.9 per game to 26.7 per game. His scoring average jumped from 5.8 points per game as a reserve to 13 points per game as a starter. uh his shooting jumped from 43% as a reserve to 47% as a starter. We can go on and on, but obviously he needs to take a big jump this season if the Bulls are going to as well. And he’s going to be given quite a lot of opportunity as he is pencileled in as the starting power power forward going into training camp. Obviously, Billy Donovan, you know, brought him along slowly last season, which Modis Buzzelis praised, but um man, the runway is his and let’s see where he can take it. All right, another big story line that I’m really intrigued by is who’s going to be the starting small forward. Um obviously, they’re going to have all of training camp to sort that out and preseason games. Um and you know, Billy Donovan probably won’t proclaim a starter on media day, but he has ample opportunity. I’ve kind of had my eyes on Isaac Aoro, not only because he’s a shiny new toy, but also because he obviously has ample starting experience from his time in Cleveland. And from my perspective, he adds a defensive element that really fits well alongside projected starters Josh Giddy, Kobe White, Modis Buselis, and Nicoola Vuchich. Um, you know, obviously you have other opportunities and we’re going to get into those, but Isaac Aoro started 238 of his 334 career games with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And I I talked to him briefly out in Las Vegas, and this certainly looks like a guy who is looking forward to take advantage of his new opportunity. Obviously, his time in Cleveland kind of, you know, started out with a bang and ended not with a whimper, but he his role was certainly reduced as the Cavaliers, you know, became the number one seed in the Eastern Conference and they’re obviously in win now mode with the acquisition of Lonzo Ball. Um, so Isaac Aoro comes to the Bulls as a person uh with something to prove and his defensive element, his physicality, his ability to hit the corner three really to me projects well alongside those aformentioned starters. Obviously, if it’s not Isaac Aoro, the other candidates are Patrick Williams and to a lesser extent Kevin Herurder if Billy Donovan opts for a offensive-minded threeard lineup. And then I also want to get into Dalon Terry for a little bit because he’s kind of been the overlooked player and I’ve got a little bit of intel on his off seasonason. But let’s get back to Patrick Williams. I briefly ran into Patrick last week and first thing he said to me is, “I’m healthy.” And he said it with a confidence and an excitement level that leads me to believe he is coming into camp with also something to prove. We know uh ad nauseium he’s had difficulty not only staying healthy but playing with that consistent aggressiveness that Billy Donovan and the coaching staff are always imploring him to play with. But man, I talked to Patrick briefly and he just seemed like a very confident uh excited player. And so, you know, maybe he comes out and seizes a starting role. To me, he actually has performed better in his Bulls tenure as a reserve. This is obviously for Billy Donovan and his coaching staff to figure out, but you can’t overlook the possibility of the pre former number four overall pick um seizing that starting spot. Coincidentally, Isaac Aoro, as we all know, went fifth in that same draft. Um, as I mentioned, I think Kevin Herder starting as a long shot. He comes in projecting to me as a really nice reserve shooting guard. Um, obviously can do more than that. Very good passer, very good cutter. Um, but if you start him, I think you’ve got probably a little bit too offensive-minded of a lineup. And then Dalon Terry, I wanted to get into him a little bit. I’ve been told by a lot of people that this is a guy who quietly has had a very, very strong off season. He has worked hard to improve his shot. His defensive energy has always been notable and consistent. And maybe this is the year that he takes a jump. You know, obviously these kids come in so young and they all develop at different uh stages and ages in today’s NBA and I know Dalon has been, you know, overlooked at times and inconsistent at times, but let’s see what he’s got. That’s what training camp is for. So, I think he’s a long shot, but I just wanted to mention him because I’ve heard from multiple people that he has had a very strong off season. All right, story line number four that I’m going to be monitoring is Billy Donovan and his coaching staff. From my perspective, they’ve got a lot on their plate and obviously Billy Donovan not only has a Hall of Fame jacket but also a contract raise um to, you know, help with that department. But, uh, I thought last season that staff did a fantastic job of keeping the team intact, keeping the team together, keeping the team pulling in the same direction as they dealt with a philosophy change offensively and, you know, new roles. And I think he’s going to have even more on his plate this season. Let’s throw out the reasons why. Um, you’ve got Iodumu and Kobe White in contract years as headed to unrestricted free agency. Uh, Iodumu also was mentioned in trade talks this off seasonason. Um, so obviously, you know, he’s going to be coming into camp with that in his mind. Um, Nicole Vuchic, you know, he’s kind of looking around going, I’m the last man standing. You know, Demard Rozen, Zack Lavine, Alex Caruso, all veterans who have been traded. He’s still here playing for a young team. And, you know, is he going to be looking to be elsewhere at some point or have contract or trade talks on his mind? That’s something else to monitor. As I mentioned before, Josh Giddy’s an approve it year after signing that four-year hund00 million deal. And then you’ve got a project like Noah Sen, the the first round pick on your plate, too. So, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Now, luckily, this team consistently has been filled with professionals that are all about the team. So, I’m not worried about any of these storylines. I’m just mentioning them that, you know, you’ve got a lot of potential for guys kind of maybe going in their own direction rather than the team direction. that has not been any of these guys’ history, but it’s something to monitor. Um, you know, all sports teams uh have the potential for challenges as you move through the the trials and tribulations of any sports season. So, I think Billy Donovan and his coaching staff are going to have a pretty big task on their hands this season, and we’re going to be here for it, as uh you will as well for more editions of the fast break as we get ramped up for training camp and into the preseason and regular season. So, thanks for checking us out this episode and we’ll talk to you next time.

K.C. Johnson returns to the desk as the Bulls get set to return for training camp ahead of the 2025-26 season. K.C. covers everything to keep you the most informed Bulls fan from the next stages of Giddey’s career after inking his 4-yr contract extension to Matas Buzelis’ promising sophomore season.

0:16-3:19: What’s next for Giddey after extension?
3:20-5:09: Matas Buzelis primed for big sophomore season
5:10-8:51: Battle for starting SF role
8:52-11:00: Challenges face Billy Donovan and coaching staff

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