The Chicago Bulls secured an impressive comeback win over the Miami Heat on Saturday, March 8. Billy Donovan’s team continues to find ways to stay afloat in the search for postseason basketball.
When speaking in his postgame news conference, Donovan pinpointed recently-acquired point guard Tre Jones for praise. Jones joined the franchise as part of the deal that sent Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings.
“He’s got something, he’s got the IT factor to me,” Donovan said. “He really does. He’s just a winner. You can look at size and length for position and he probably doesn’t have any of those things. But he has really good speed, he’s really tough, he’s got a high IQ, he understands competition. He can really stay in the moment and compete. The last two games on the road he’s been great. He’s got a lot of substance, a lot of competitive character to him.”
Since joining the Bulls, Jones is averaging 9.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 46.2% from three-point range. The 25-year-old guard has impressed enough to earn three starts in 12 games for Donovan’s team.
Nevertheless, Jones must continue impressing if he wants a longer-term stay with the Bulls. He is currently in the final year of his deal and will become an unrestricted free agent in the summer.
Bulls’ Josh Giddey Makes History
Another guard on the Bulls roster that is heading for free agency is Josh Giddey. The talented ball-handler is at the end of his rookie-scale deal, and will become a restricted free agent in the summer. Like Jones, Giddey has been impressing for the Bulls.
During Chicago’s win over Miami, Giddey recorded his third triple-double of the season. That feat saw him become only the second guard in franchise history to record three triple doubles. The other guard was Michael Jordan.
“With 23 pts, 10 rebs and 10 asts so far at MIA, Josh Giddey has logged his 3rd triple-double of the season,” Bulls PR posted on X. “Giddey joins Michael Jordan (15 in 1988-89, 4 in 1992-93, 3 in 1984-85) as the only guards in team history to log 3+ triple-doubles in a single season.”
Assuming the Bulls aren’t priced out of negotiations, they will likely extend Giddey’s stay in Chicago during the summer. After all, he’s already proving that he’s a potential star of the future.
Bulls’ Giddey is Working on His Defense
Coming into the season, Giddey’s biggest weakness was on the defensive side of the floor. During a recent interview with Joe Cowley of the Chicago-Sun Times for a Feb. 25 article, Giddey admitted that he’s been working hard to improve that aspect of his game.
‘‘With the team I was on, we had such an elite defense that sometimes it was just by default that I would relax on that side of the ball because I knew I had such great defenders around me,’’ Giddey said. ‘‘Whereas here, we might not have that same type of personnel around me, so it’s got to be a group effort. That’s why I’m taking on bigger challenges. That’s the only way to get better: by testing yourself to take on these top guys across the league.’’
Giddey, 22, is multiple years away from reaching his prime. He’s going to continue improving his game for the foreseeable future. If he can become a neutral defender, the Bulls will likely have an All-Star on their hands. As such, it makes sense for them to do whatever they can to keep Giddey beyond his current deal. Otherwise, their best young player will be leaving for nothing in the summer, and that would be a disaster.
