MINNEAPOLIS — Josh Giddey jokingly downplayed the excitement for his return before the game Thursday.
He had missed 11 games with a strained left hamstring and was on a minutes restriction, but with 5:30 left in the first quarter against the Timberwolves, he checked in and was back in action.
Giddey, who finished with 21 points, had 13 quick points, a rebound and a steal; it was as if he had never left.
So what exactly did his presence mean for the Bulls? Considering they were 6-5 without him, maybe not much. Give it time, coach Billy Donovan said.
Giddey has gone from newly acquired player who was having trouble staying on the floor late in games early last season to potential All-Star with the numbers he’s putting up, so Donovan was asked if Giddey still had a high ceiling.
“He’s gotten better as a shooter,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘He’s gotten better defensively, those two things, but I do think he has a unique ability to raise the people around him.
‘‘When most young players come in, they want to do well. They’re focused on themselves, not that Josh is focused on himself. But coming into a new situation, he wanted to play well. Then he’s trying to adapt because he’s such a unique passer for his size, and he’s trying to balance all that out. The ceiling for him really is he’ll keep getting better as a player individually, but the thing for him when the ball is in his hands is that balance between himself and his teammates and how well can he raise everyone around him by making the game easier.
“The really great players start to understand how to influence and impact the group around them. He has the ability to do that. As he’s getting older and starts reading defenses, what they are trying to do, how to take advantage of them, that’s the next iteration.”
That improvement would be facilitated if the Bulls continue to raise the talent level around Giddey. Because of his pass-first mentality, his strength is still feeding his teammates. Unfortunately for the Bulls, the roster isn’t brimming with talent.
“When you look at him offensively, defensively, he gets a lot of numbers in areas, and he can affect the game in a lot of different ways,” Donovan said. “I think since the All-Star break last year, he’s played at a really incredible level.”
Chicago’s own
Ayo Dosunmu picked a really good time to be a free agent, entering the game against the T-wolves with career highs in scoring and free throws, but the number that really jumped off the page was his three-point percentage.
The former Illinois guard has gone from 32.8% last season to 46.1%.
“Some of the shoulder [injury] stuff he had last year may have had an impact on him as he was trying to play through that,” Donovan said.
“I always felt like he had a good touch. I know he had a low release, didn’t shoot it off the dribble much, but he always had a pretty good touch.
‘‘I felt like if he would put his mind to it, he would get pretty good at shooting the basketball.”
Rocky road
Something executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas might want to keep in mind as the Feb. 5 trade deadline nears is the Bulls have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the league.
