Josh Giddey has persevered through difficult times and has only gotten better

If you don’t like him, you probably shouldn’t read this.

First, a disclaimer. I must admit that before he came to the Bulls, I couldn’t stand him. The hockey flow hairstyle, the funny accent, the allegations all bothered me. Most of all, I hated his game and thought he sucked.

But he won me over and this is why

Soft skills are not spoken of enough in the NBA but in business they matter big time. Bryson Graham, the Bulls new Executive VP was hired largely because of his soft skills. After everything the Australian born Giddey has been through, in just a handful of NBA seasons, his maturity, his communication skills (his OKC teammates still love him) and his mental strength stand out.

We are talking about a kid who left home as a teenager, dealt with public allegations that got investigated by police and the league, got benched in the playoffs, got traded, landed in a constantly shifting Chicago Bulls situation, and still has managed to push through injuries while turning himself into a near nightly triple-double machine.

Bryson Graham should value that mental toughness. It’s a trait that Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis will also need to further develop. Norman Powell, who Graham brought on board, spent his career overcoming adversity to eventually become an all-star in his tenth year in the NBA. Giddey may not have SLAP or the most polished technical skills, but he’s got the grit needed to win close games and be a leader.

He was barely 19 when the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted him sixth overall in 2021. He’d already shown he could handle big minutes in the NBL with Adelaide, but the NBA comes with a different culture, pace, and expectations. A lot of young overseas players take years to develop but Giddey averaged a solid 12.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.4 assists as a rookie. The next year he was even better.

He wasn’t flashy and obviously needed improvement, but he filled the box score with determination (a word that I think describes Giddey). Thunder executive Sam Presti may have thought at that point that he had found a potential foundational piece.

Then came the 2023-24 season and the stuff that would have broken a lot of young players

Social media posts in November 2023 accused him of an improper relationship with a minor from when he was 19. The Newport Beach police and the NBA both opened investigations. Police closed their case in January 2024, saying they couldn’t corroborate any criminal activity and wouldn’t file charges. The NBA followed suit in May and took no disciplinary action. Giddey continued to play through it all under constant scrutiny from media and heckling from fans.

At his end-of-season exit interview he said, “There’s been days where you don’t feel like getting out of bed for a number of reasons. You have a couple bad games, you start to get in your own head, maybe you lose confidence. But for me, I’ve just tried to stay within the team as much as I can this year and that’s been the thing for me that I found that’s worked the best.”

That says a lot about how he processes pressure.

The basketball side of that year wasn’t a picnic either. His numbers dipped to 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists and his role shifted on a championship caliber Thunder team. In the playoffs against Dallas his minutes got cut hard and he found himself on the bench for stretches.

A lot of 21-year-olds would have sulked. Giddey owned it. “Coach did what he thought was best for the team and to be honest, I probably agree with him,” he said. “It’s a tough pill to swallow but for a 21-year-old to go through this now it’s probably a good thing and I just don’t want to feel this feeling again. It’ll make me a lot better and stronger as a player.”

That next season OKC, a team led by a future two-time MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, wanted to use him more as a reserve. But Giddey wanted a bigger role, confident in his ability to lead an offense. Both sides handled it professionally and in June 2024 he was traded to the Chicago Bulls for defensive guru Alex Caruso.

Although it was a fresh start, Giddey was going to a stale organization

He was given a bigger opportunity, but also a completely different environment—one that has been anything but stable in the last couple years with roster changes, front-office shakeups, injuries everywhere, and eventually coaching changes.

Giddey walked into that mess and raised his production to an almost all-star level. In 2024-25 he averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists. Then in 2025-26 he jumped to career highs of 17.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists in 54 games, racking up 13 triple-doubles. That is a genuine near-triple-double production every night.

Despite his production on the court, wins have not come easy and bitter Bulls fans still complain about the Caruso trade as if it’s his fault that the Bulls didn’t get picks included in the deal. His outside shooting was questioned (though he’s shooting 37% from three as a Bull), and his defense is still questioned. Even the hecklers still come out. At a November game in Charlotte last season, a fan sitting courtside was thrown out for aggressive remarks.

Injuries have been part of the story too. Ankle rolls, hamstring strains, a forearm issue that flared up late in one season. He’s missed time when the medical staff insisted, but he’s also shown the competitive streak that refuses to sit when he feels he can go. It was obvious last season that he was often playing through pain.

At 23 (turning 24 later this year), Giddey has already lived through the kind of turbulence that ends some careers before they really start. For the 2026-27 season, the Bulls have brought in a few new faces and a new coach. He will be joined by an all-star in Powell, a rising star in Buzelis, a potential franchise player in Wilson and a high-flying center in Nic Claxton.

He has said “my job’s kind of always to get guys looks, to get guys open shots, make the game easy for them”. As a young veteran he will be empowered to lead an offense tailored to his skill set. For an NBA player still early in his journey and under contract for the next three seasons, Giddey is in position to take his game and his team to the next level.

His technical skills as a player will continue to improve, but his acquired soft skills may be what distinguishes Giddey as a truly special player and leader. His constantly improved play, along with the mental toughness and “determination” to overcome trials and tribulations is why I have now grown to respect his game.