Coach Tiago Splitter's Chicago Bulls dropped their season opener in Toronto against the Raptors by a score of 135-92, the start of point guard Josh Giddey's third season with the team. 

Giddey had an uncharacteristically bad shooting night, going 1-10 from the field and 0-4 from three-point range for just two points while also chipping in seven rebounds and eight assists. 

Giddey made an injury revelation to Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic after the game that may explain his unexpectedly uneven season debut performance. 

Giddey revealed that he suffered a hand-related injury during the NBA preseason, Lorenzi said. 

"Josh Giddey said postgame that he injured his left wrist during the preseason. Dropped in the fact that it's something they'll manage 'throughout the season.' 

"Said medical team weighed the options and determined they'll deal with it that way. Asked if it is a tissue issue, Giddey deferred to medical team." 

Giddey appeared to have a hard time adjusting to the speed and precision of the regular season opener early, starting out 0-for-8 from the field and finishing the game with five turnovers. His only basket came on a backdoor cut and layup with the game well out of reach. 

Lorenzi added that the Bulls started out the game with 18 turnovers to eight assists, a game that they would later finish with totals of 27 turnovers and 16 assists. 

Splitter said that the situation was not a good one for the Bulls' young roster to be exposed to so early in the season and in their careers, considering the chaos that took place on the court Wednesday.

Giddey was pickpocketed at midcourt on one particularly troublesome sequence, leading to an easy basket from the Raptors. Bulls teammates began looking away from Giddey's direction on inbounds passes, something the Melbourne, Australia native is not used to experiencing. Rookie star Caleb Wilson was among those shaken by the pressure, as he turned the ball over nine times on the night. 

Last season, Giddey was one of the NBA's most efficient point guards as he shot over 46% from the field and dished out over eight assists per game. He did struggle with turnovers at times, finishing with an average of 2.9 per game, 0.8 more than the previous season.

Giddey and the Bulls have a lot of work to do not just on the practice courts, but also between the ears as they prepare for Friday's game at Milwaukee. Injuries notwithstanding, Giddey, Wilson and the rest of the Bulls have to play a smarter brand of basketball if they are to have any hope of not ending up back in the NBA Draft lottery again after the conclusion of the 2026-27 NBA season.