Josh Giddey’s next Chicago step starts with a repaired ankle

Josh Giddey produced career-best numbers before his season ended early. The more important 2026-27 question is whether a healthier body lets Chicago build around his actual strengths rather than his reputation as a flawed shooter.

The injury changes the offseason equation The NBA is in its offseason on August 15, 2026, with training camps still ahead. For Josh Giddey, the defining development is not another contract headline but the right ankle arthroscopy that ended his 2025-26 campaign and now shapes Chicago’s preparation for next season.

The Bulls announced on May 13 that Giddey would be sidelined from basketball activities for approximately three months, while expecting him to return for training camp. That timeline points towards a normal preseason, but it also makes workload and movement quality the central questions. Giddey was limited to 54 games, his lowest total since his rookie season, after dealing with hamstring and ankle issues. (nba.com)

The production was already good enough Before the shutdown, Giddey averaged 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists, all career highs. He also shot 36.4 per cent from three, a meaningful improvement on his career mark, while carrying a 44.8 per cent overall field-goal rate. Those numbers do not make him a conventional lead guard, but they establish a clear offensive identity: a large initiator who creates advantages through passing, rebounding and early decisions rather than constant downhill pressure.

The assist figure matters most. Giddey’s value rises when he controls the first action, pushes after defensive rebounds and gets Chicago into movement before the defence is set. His size allows him to see over smaller point guards and deliver hit-ahead passes that ordinary guards cannot make. The Bulls should treat that as the foundation, not as a secondary skill that must wait behind a more traditional half-court creator. (basketball-reference.com)

Chicago has to solve the spacing problem The tactical tension is obvious. Defences can still duck under screens and load the nail when Giddey operates without a credible shooting threat beside him. His improved three-point percentage is encouraging, but it is not yet enough to force every opponent over the pick-and-roll. Chicago therefore needs line-ups that make his passing immediately punishable.

That means pairing Giddey with reliable shooting at the two and three, using a centre who can either space the floor or screen decisively, and giving him staggered minutes with enough shooting around him to attack tilted defences. The Bulls should also run more actions that begin with Giddey as a screener or hand-off hub. Those alignments reduce the predictability of simply placing the ball in his hands at the top and asking him to beat a set defence.

His rebounding is another underused advantage. At 8.3 boards per game, Giddey can initiate transition himself rather than waiting for an outlet pass. That is particularly valuable for a team that needs efficient offence without relying on difficult isolation possessions.

The 2026-27 test is availability plus role clarity Giddey’s four-year, US$100 million deal means Chicago is no longer evaluating whether his strengths are worth accommodating. The organisation now has to construct a functional ecosystem around them. The ankle surgery gives the Bulls a clean offseason checkpoint: he must return moving well, but the team must also avoid treating every missed jumper as evidence that the entire experiment has failed.

The next version of Giddey does not need to become a high-volume shot-maker to justify the investment. He needs to stay available, defend competently within a scheme, make open threes often enough to preserve spacing and remain the primary connector who turns rebounds into advantages. If Chicago achieves that, his statistical improvement can become winning structure rather than another empty line on a poor team. (nba.com)

Sources Bulls guard Josh Giddey (ankle) undergoes arthroscopic surgery | NBA.com Josh Giddey Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more | Basketball-Reference.com Bulls re-sign Josh Giddey to multi-year deal | NBA.com Bulls guard Josh Giddey (ankle) undergoes arthroscopic surgery Josh Giddey 2025-26 statistics 2025-26 Chicago Bulls roster and statistics Bulls re-sign Josh Giddey to multi-year deal