Chicago, IL – In a candid post-game admission, Chicago Bulls point guard Josh Giddey shouldered the responsibility for his team’s mounting losses, highlighting critical issues in late-game execution, rebounding, and the impact of injuries. The Bulls, who started the 2025-26 NBA season with a promising 6-1 record, have plummeted to 9-14 amid a three-game skid, prompting Giddey to call for introspection and improvement.
“It all comes down to fourth-quarter execution,” Giddey said after a recent defeat. “Rebounding has killed us down the stretch. In the last couple of minutes, teams get desperate, they start sending five guys, and we just haven’t boxed out the way we needed to — myself included. We’ve given up too many O-boards, and it leads to dagger threes, putbacks — it kills your momentum.”
The Australian star didn’t stop there, pointing to offensive lapses as well. “Offensively, we’ve got to start getting into sets and getting into things. I think we change the way we play when the game gets close down the stretch. A lot of that’s probably on me — I’ve got to get us better organised in those last two, three minutes so we can get good looks.” Giddey emphasized that while shot outcomes can vary, the team’s controllable factors like execution on both ends of the floor have been lacking. “We’ve lost a lot of games where we just haven’t executed on both sides of the ball — and that’s a sour feeling because it’s in your control.”
Giddey also acknowledged that opponents have figured out the Bulls’ weaknesses. “The memo on us is out: crash the boards, get back in transition; that’s how you stop the Bulls,” he noted. “So we have to figure out ways to counteract that and be effective. We’ve shown we can do it and we’re capable. So it’s a matter of doing it night in and night out whether guys are injured or not.”
Injuries have indeed plagued the roster, with key players like starter Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter, Jalen Smith, Tre Jones, and Ayo Dosunmu sidelined or day-to-day. Australian teammate Josh Green remains out, adding to the undermanned lineup. However, Giddey refused to use this as an excuse. “You obviously… you never want to have guys out and injured. Obviously we’re playing very undermanned, but it’s not an excuse. I believe we’ve got enough in this locker room — when we’re fully healthy, when we’ve got guys out — to win games.”
He expressed confidence in stepping up during tough times: “I love taking on that responsibility. Obviously I would have loved for it to translate to more wins in the last six or seven games, but that’s probably the next step for me: how I can, you know, when we’ve got guys out, will our team to wins.”
The Bulls’ early-season surge was fueled by Giddey’s playmaking prowess, with double-digit assists in four of the first five games, alongside Nikola Vucevic’s rebounding dominance and rookie Matas Buzelis’ emergence, including a 27-point outburst against Sacramento. Signature victories came against Detroit, Orlando, Atlanta, Sacramento, and New York, where Giddey nearly notched a triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.
But the wheels came off starting around November 3, with a 3-13 slide marked by defensive breakdowns, poor finishing at the rim, and a declining assist-to-turnover ratio. The team has allowed 140+ points three times in the last two weeks, shifting from a top Eastern Conference contender to a squad searching for identity. A brief resurgence with road wins over Denver and Portland brought them to 8-6, but a brutal 1-8 stretch followed, featuring blowouts like a 143-107 loss to Miami and a 123-91 defeat to Golden State.
Despite the downturn, Giddey remains optimistic about the group’s cohesion. “I feel like it’s more so than ever [connected], I feel like it’s more so than when we were winning. This is the part where — it’s easy, you start losing some, and it’s easy for guys to splinter and go their own way. But credit to the group; coaches have kept us together, we’ve kept ourselves together.”
Looking ahead, the Bulls have a lighter schedule with matchups against Charlotte on December 13 and New Orleans on December 15 (AEDT). Giddey sees an upcoming break as a chance to reset: “It is much needed. It will be good to have the break to get back to what we are good at. These four days, I think one win will put us in the right direction.”
Individually, Giddey is thriving, averaging 20.3 points on 47.8% shooting, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists through 21 games—putting him in contention for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. “I’m all for optimism and positivity, but at some point we have to look in the mirror and say how can we be better as a team,” he urged.
As the losses pile up, Giddey’s accountability could be the spark Chicago needs to turn things around. With the talent on hand and a focus on crunch-time fixes, the Bulls aim to reclaim their early-season form before it’s too late.