Josh Giddey is trending toward a return from an extended absence due to an ankle injury. The Chicago Bulls upgraded the guard to questionable for Wednesday’s road matchup with the Phoenix Suns.
Giddey has missed the Bulls’ last three games after spraining his ankle during a Mar. 10 win over the Indiana Pacers. Head coach Billy Donovan said the 22-year-old is progressing well and expected to return on Wednesday vs. the Suns or Thursday vs. the Sacramento Kings, per K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Sports Network.
Josh Giddey nearing return from extended absence for Bulls
Giddey has had an encouraging season after joining the Bulls in an offseason trade that sent Alex Caruso to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The former No. 6 pick has averaged 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists on 46.2 percent shooting over 60 appearances. He’s improved substantially as a three-point shooter, a glaring weakness of his game with Oklahoma City, shooting 37.6 percent on 4.0 attempts per game, both career-highs.
Giddey, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James and Domantas Sabonis are the NBA’s only players averaging 13-plus points, seven-plus rebounds and six-plus assists on over 45 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from three. The Bulls guard is set to hit restricted free agency this summer and should be in line for a substantial payday.
The Bulls have won two of their last three games with Giddey sidelined and four of their last five overall. They’ve overtaken the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference’s ninth seed with 14 games remaining by virtue of a tiebreaker. As of now, Chicago would host Miami in the play-in tournament for a chance to face the loser of the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic to secure the eighth seed.
The Suns have posted a 5-5 record over their last 10 games entering Wednesday’s Bulls matchup. Phoenix is also fighting to secure a Western Conference play-in spot.
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