Josh Giddey is playing with fewer touches than ever, yet the Bulls offense is humming louder. While the 24-year-old guard averaged 17.0 points and 9.1 assists during his career year in 2025-26, his numbers have dipped to 7.6 points and 8.0 assists through the first five games of this season, per Pippen Ain’t Easy. The surprising twist isn’t the drop in his personal box score. It is how the team is sharing the ball while he deals with a reported wrist injury that head coach Tiago Splitter claims has not affected his play.
The real story is in the usage rate. Pippen Ain’t Easy reports that Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis currently hold the top and third usage spots at 27.0 percent and 23.2 percent. Giddey sits at just 16.2 percent. This shift means the offense is no longer funneling everything through one player. Seven different players finished in double figures during Wednesday’s loss to the Knicks, showing that the scoring load is finally spreading out across the roster.
The Knicks Game Shows Real Progress
In that defeat, Chicago played a complete 48 minutes against New York, an uncommon occurrence versus a playoff-level opponent. Per Sports Illustrated, the Bulls converted 21 of 39 attempts inside the paint and earned 30 trips to the charity stripe. Even though they shot 18-42 from downtown, the ball movement was crisp.
Splitter called out this specific style of play after the game. “I think we moved the ball side-to-side plenty of times, we touched the paint, sprayed the ball out, found shooters,” Splitter noted after the game. He followed up with a clear message about the team’s identity. “We finally made some shots. I think we were due for that. That’s the type of basketball we want to play. Play fast and share the ball on offense.” The coach wants this high-tempo, share-the-ball approach to become the standard, not a one-off game.
Harder Tests Lie Ahead
The schedule is about to get much tougher for this young squad. Norman Powell was brought in specifically for matchups like the one on Wednesday night, according to Sports Illustrated. The team faced a methodical Knicks side that knows how to slow the game down. “I thought we did a good job. That’s a good team over there. They are really methodical. They know who they want to play through. They know how to slow the game now,” Powell said.
Despite the upcoming challenges, the players seem ready for the grind. Caleb Wilson is approaching the season with the right mindset. “I feel like it’s good for us to be playing these good teams so early,” Wilson said. He believes the early tough games force the team to elevate. “It forces us to play to the best of our ability. I definitely feel like we’re going the right way.”
Giddey almost secured his initial triple-double of the season during that contest, tallying 10 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds. Splitter sees the value in these early struggles. “Overall, Josh, I think he had a good game,” Splitter said. The Bulls are building something different, even if the win column doesn’t show it yet. The front office needs to trust this path as the calendar flips to November.
