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How Josh Giddey’s, Zach LaVine’s different Olympics fortunes relate to Bulls’ future originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
Josh Giddey’s and Australia’s Olympics dream ended Tuesday with a quarterfinal loss to Serbia, just one day shy of the three-year anniversary of Zach LaVine and USA Basketball sporting gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
A lot, obviously, can happen in three years, which is why Giddey, and not LaVine, is currently the more prominent face of the Chicago Bulls next roster iteration.
LaVine is healthy following foot surgery and having a normal offseason of training as he and the Bulls prepare for their relationship to continue—for now.
Giddey, meanwhile, represents the Bulls’ pivot to a youth movement after management traded Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City to acquire him.
Giddey, who turns 22 in October, capped his eventful Olympics with 25 points, seven turnovers, five rebounds and four assists in the loss. He also favored his ankle as he walked off the court, having rolled it on a missed layup with Australia down five points and eight seconds to play.
Giddey played a role for Australia that he is expected to play for the Bulls, one where he had the ball in his hands plenty and served as the primary playmaker. Entering Tuesday’s quarterfinal, Giddey averaged 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 turnovers in Australia’s first four games, shooting 50 percent, including 47.4 percent from 3-point range.
Three years ago in Tokyo, LaVine embraced a defensive-minded reserve role for Team USA, drawing praise from heavyweights like Gregg Popovich, who then served as head coach, and Steve Kerr, who then served as assistant coach and now leads USA Basketball.
In a perfect world, LaVine projects to fit well alongside Giddey, who is at his best when surrounded by elite catch-and-shoot threats and athletes who thrive in transition and catching alley-oop passes. Before his poor start to an injury-plagued 2023-24 season in which he logged just 25 games, LaVine was on a three-season heater in which he won that Olympic gold, made two All-Star…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/josh-giddeys-zach-lavines-different-193429276.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-08-06 19:45:29
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