Josh Giddey Justifies New Contract With Franchise Performance in Bulls-Pistons

In their season opener on Wednesday, Giddey helped the Bulls pick up a huge home win over the Detroit Pistons, dropping 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists on 5-12 shooting from the field and 8-11 from the free-throw line.

Of course, his six turnovers are nothing to write home about, but this was as good a season debut as many would have hoped for. In fact, Giddey did something in Wednesday's game that a Bulls guard has not done in two centuries.

Bulls PR confirmed that Giddey is the seventh guard in franchise history to record a double-double on opening night, and the first since Chris Duhon did it in 2005.

Giddey had an impressive debut season in Chicago, averaging 14.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, which ultimately landed him a massive $100 million contract. However, the Bulls were likely more inclined to give Giddey a generous deal because of his potential as a franchise cornerstone.

This 2025-26 campaign will be Giddey's opportunity to prove he can be an All-Star-caliber player for the Bulls, and while he was not a star in their season debut, he showed promise and should continue to improve.

The Bulls have put together an interesting core around Giddey, Mataz Buzelis, Coby White, and Nikola Vucevic. While White was sidelined for Wednesday's season opener, Giddey, Buzelis, and Vucevic were all impressive in their unique ways, and the Bulls will likely have a very interesting 2025-26 season around that group.

Ideally, the Bulls will get the version of Giddey that burst onto the scene after last season's All-Star break, but regardless, he should continue to make a huge impact in Chicago.